A bill introduced Tuesday by Sens. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) and Rand Paul (R-Ky.) would provide a pathway to citizenship to “Documented Dreamers,” or children of long-term non-immigrant visa holders legally residing in the United States.
The bill, dubbed “America’s Children Act,” would affect an estimated 200,000 children and young adults living in the United States as dependents of long-term non-immigrant visa holders, including workers on H-1B and L-1 visas. While those young people can eventually obtain permanent residency, they often end up stuck in a decades-long backlog and have to self-deport when they age out of dependent status at 21.
