[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 157 (Wednesday, September 28, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5228-S5229]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. PADILLA (for himself, Ms. Warren, Mr. Lujan, and Mr. 
        Durbin):
  S. 4974. A bill to amend section 249 of the Immigration and 
Nationality Act to render available to certain long-term residents of 
the United States the benefit under that section; to the Committee on 
the Judiciary.
  Mr. PADILLA. Mr. President, I rise to introduce the Renewing 
Immigration Provisions of the Immigration Act of 1929 Act.
  There are currently 11 million noncitizens in the United States. It 
is not feasible or productive to remove all them. The vast majority of 
these noncitizens have established roots in the United States and are 
law-abiding citizens. They have made contributions to

[[Page S5229]]

their communities and have served as essential workers during the 
pandemic. Leaving them without a path to permanent residence denies 
them the opportunity to become full participants in our society.
  This legislation would ensure that long-term residents who have lived 
in the United States continuously for at least 7 years are able to 
apply for lawful permanent residence.
  The Renewing Immigration Provisions of the Immigration Act of 1929 
Act would amend the existing registry statue in the Immigration and 
Nationality Act by establishing a rolling cutoff date of 7 years prior 
to the date that an immigrant files an application to register 
permanent or adjusted status.
  This bill would ensure that long-term residents already in the United 
States who have been waiting for a visa number to become available for 
over 7 years can immediately file an application to register permanent 
or adjust status.
  This legislation also provides a much needed pathway to a green card 
for Dreamers and forcibly displaced citizens, such as TPS holders, who 
have been in legal limbo for many years.
  Finally, the bill would preempt the need for further congressional 
action by making the eligibility cutoff rolling, instead of tying it to 
a specific date, as it is now.
  Advancing the registry date is not unprecedented. Congress has 
updated the registry in a bipartisan fashion four times since it was 
first codified in 1929. As a result of the 1958 changes, the registry 
mechanism became available to immigrants who had entered the country 
improperly or who had overstayed or who violated the terms of a 
temporary period of entry. With this change, Congress intended the 
registry to be a mechanism for noncitizens to adjust to lawful 
permanent resident status.
  Currently, the eligibility cutoff date is January 1, 1972, more than 
50 years ago. Fewer and fewer immigrants are able to meet this cutoff 
entry date requirement, rendering this provision all but useless. From 
2015 to 2019 only 305 individuals were able to adjust their status 
based on the registry, down from 58,914 from 1985 to 1989.
       It is imperative that we provide immigrants who have been 
     living with uncertainty about their futures a path to 
     permanent residence status.

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