Rep. Juan Vargas Joins 200 Colleagues in Reintroducing the American Dream and Promise Act
This legislation would provide Dreamers, TPS holders, and DED beneficiaries with a pathway to citizenship
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Representative Juan Vargas (CA-52) announced that he joined 200 of his colleagues in reintroducing the bipartisan American Dream and Promise Act of 2025. This legislation would provide a pathway to citizenship to Dreamers, undocumented immigrants who were brought to the United States as children. It would also include recipients of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) beneficiaries.
Dreamers have spent nearly their entire lives in the United States. They have attended school, earned degrees, built careers, and contributed billions to our economy, all while calling this country home. Many have started families and raised children who are U.S. citizens. It’s estimated that the average DACA recipient came to this country at the age of six and has been here for 20 years. Likewise, TPS holders have been living and working in the United States for decades.
Dreamers and TPS recipients make major economic and fiscal contributions each year. DACA recipients pay approximately $6.2 billion in federal taxes and $3.3 billion in state and local taxes annually. The Center for American Progress estimates that the national GDP could grow by $799 billion over the next decade if Dreamers were provided a pathway to citizenship.
Economic models show a pathway to citizenship would increase wages for all workers in the U.S. and create hundreds of thousands of new jobs. It is estimated that DACA recipients in 2022 collectively earned nearly $27.9 billion and contributed nearly $2.1 billion to Social Security and Medicare, despite not being eligible for these benefits under current law.
“As the son of immigrants and a first-generation American, I know what the American Dream looks like. Dreamers deserve those same opportunities,” said Rep. Juan Vargas. “Dreamers are our neighbors, friends, and family. They strengthen our communities and keep our economy moving forward. They’ve built their lives here, and America is their home. It’s past time to clear a path to citizenship and make the American Dream and Promise Act the law of the land.”
The American Dream and Promise Act of 2025 would:
- Protect and grant eligible Dreamers conditional permanent residence for ten years and cancel removal proceedings
- Provide a pathway to citizenship for eligible Dreamers by granting full Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR) status
- Provide individuals with Temporary Protected Status (TPS) or Deferred Enforcement Departure (DED) with LPR status
- Protect Dreamers and individuals with TPS or DED during their application for relief under the American Dream and Promise Act
- Provide eligible Dreamers with access to federal financial aid
- Allow eligible Dreamers located abroad to apply for relief
- Prevent penalizing states that grant in-state tuition to undocumented students based on residency
Before his inauguration, President Donald Trump indicated he wanted to work with Democrats to protect Dreamers and that Republicans were open to getting something done on this issue. Rep. Juan Vargas and his colleagues extend an open invitation to President Trump to get this done by passing the bipartisan American Dream and Promise Act of 2025.
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