[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 130 (Thursday, July 27, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3761-S3762]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. PADILLA (for himself, Ms. Warren, Mr. Lujan, Mr. Durbin, 
        Mr. Sanders, and Mr. Booker):
  S. 2606. 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

[[Page S3762]]

benefit under that section; to the Committee on the Judiciary.
  Mr. PADILLA. Madam President, I rise to introduce the Renewing 
Immigration Provisions of the Immigration Act of 1929 Act.
  This legislation would permit individuals who have lived in the 
United States continuously for at least 7 years to file for lawful 
permanent residence here.
  The Renewing Immigration Provisions of the Immigration Act of 1929 
Act will provide long-term residents of the U.S. a path to lawful 
permanent residence.
  Specifically, this bill would amend the existing Registry mechanism 
in the Immigration and Nationality Act by opening the application to 
register permanent or adjust status to long-term residents who have 
lived in the United States for at least 7 years at the time of filing.
  This bill would also allow long-term residents who have been in the 
United States for at least 7 years, waiting patiently for a visa number 
to become available, to immediately file an application to register 
permanent or adjust status.
  This legislation has the added benefit of creating a much needed 
pathway to permanent residency for Dreamers and forcibly displaced 
individuals, such as TPS holders, who have been stuck in legal limbo 
for years.
  By making the eligibility cutoff rolling, this bill would also 
preempt the need for Congress to repeatedly update the Registry's 
cutoff date to a specific year of entry into the United States.
  There is strong precedent for Congress to advance the Registry date, 
which it has done on a bipartisan basis four times since it first 
codified the Registry in 1929. In 1958, Congress opened the Registry 
mechanism to long-term residents of the United States who had entered 
the country improperly, overstayed a visa, or otherwise violated the 
terms of a temporary period of entry. Congress clearly intended the 
Registry to allow undocumented immigrants to adjust to lawful permanent 
resident status.
  Currently, the eligibility cutoff date for the Registry is January 1, 
1972, more than 50 years ago. Just a handful of immigrants can 
currently satisfy this cutoff entry date requirement, rendering the 
1972 entry cutoff all but meaningless. From 2015 to 2019, only 305 
individuals adjusted their status based on the Registry, compared to 
the 58,914 individuals who did so between 1985 and 1989. If this 
legislation passed today, over 8 million individuals--who are already 
living in the United States and have longstanding ties to their 
communities--would become eligible to apply for permanent residency 
through the Registry.
  Today, about 11 million undocumented immigrants live in the United 
States. It is not feasible or productive to remove all of them, and it 
would significantly hurt the U.S. economy to do so. The overwhelming 
majority of these undocumented immigrants have established roots in the 
United States and are law-abiding citizens. They are integral parts of 
our communities who work essential jobs, pay taxes, and even serve in 
our military. Leaving them without a path to permanent residency 
relegates them to second-class status and denies them the opportunity 
to fulfill the American Dream.
  It is imperative that we create a path to permanent residence status 
for immigrants who lack certainty about their futures.
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