The House passed two separate immigration bills Thursday evening, marking the first time the 117th Congress has voted on the issue under President Joe Biden.
The pair of bills are the first immigration proposals to be voted on since a surge of migrants reached the southern border, resulting in heightened scrutiny on the Biden administration over its handling of what Republicans have labeled a serious crisis.
The House first passed H.R. 6, the American Dream and Promise Act of 2021 (ADPA), with nine Republicans voting with Democrats in favor of the bill. The act would provide a pathway to citizenship for so-called “Dreamers” who were brought to the United States as young children, as well as for Temporary Protected Status recipients and Deferred Enforced Departure beneficiaries. The legislation, sponsored by California Democratic Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard, could give over 4.4 million people a path to permanent status, according to the Migration Policy Institute.
The House then passed, H.R. 1603, the Farm Workforce Modernization Act (FWMA), which would allow farm workers and their families to earn legal status while they work in the agricultural sector, and would update the H-2A agricultural visa program. The bipartisan legislation, which passed with 30 Republicans joining Democrats, was co-sponsored by California Democratic Rep. Zoe Lofgren and Washington Republican Rep. Dan Newhouse.
The two bills passed 228 to 197 and 247 to 174.