Corrected 4:56 p.m. | Proposals to help Afghan refugees and “documented Dreamers” were included in a sweeping defense authorization bill that passed the House on Thursday, boosting their likelihood of becoming law before the midterm elections.
The House approved the fiscal 2023 National Defense Authorization Act by a 329-101 vote, and the Senate plans to take up its own bill. The Pentagon policy bill is one Congress routinely passes and the inclusion of immigration provisions bodes well for their future at a time when immigration bills rarely move as stand-alone measures.
One proposal from Rep. Deborah K. Ross, D-N.C., co-sponsored by Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, R-Iowa, would protect dependent children of green card applicants and employment-based nonimmigrants who face deportation when they age out of dependent status. The amendment is similar to a bipartisan bill Ross has been pushing for months to protect “documented Dreamers.”
