In 2001, the DREAM Act (Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors) was first introduced. The Act, which has failed to pass into law, aimed to provide conditional residency leading to permanent residency in the U.S. for undocumented youth. For more information, see https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/blog/2010/12/01/get-facts-dream-act

In 2012, following a decade of efforts to pass various versions of the DREAM Act into law, President Obama created the DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) program. As of January 2017, 740,000 people have registered through DACA, paying a substantial fee and agreeing to abide by a set of criteria in order to lawfully remain in the U.S., be employed, enter the military, or enroll in college. For more information, see https://www.uscis.gov/humanitarian/consideration-deferred-action-childhood-arrivals-daca

In January of 2017, the BRIDGE Act (Bar Removal of Individuals who Dream and Grow our Economy) was introduced with the aim of providing “provisional protected presence” and “employment authorization” for undocumented immigrants born after June 15, 1981 and entering the U.S. before the age of 16. For more on the status of this bill, see https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/496

In March of 2017, the Recognizing America’s Children Act was introduced to the House, with conditional permanent residence status valid for an initial 5 year period. For more on the status of this bill, see https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/1468/all-info