1、CRS INSIGHT Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress Legal Dreamers January 31, 2022 The term Dreamers is often used to refer to foreign nationals who were brought to the United States as children and lack lawful immigration status. This population has garnered much public and congressional a
2、ttention. There is broad-based but uneven public support for providing these individuals with lawful permanent resident (LPR) status. After Congress repeatedly considered but did not pass legislation to provide Dreamers with a means to adjust to permanent status, the Obama Administration established
3、 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) in 2012. DACA enables its beneficiariesunauthorized immigrants who first entered the United States before June 15, 2017, and before reaching age 16, and also meet other requirementsto live in the United States on a temporary, renewable basis. DACA recip
4、ients receive protection from removal and may receive work authorization. They are not granted or put on a pathway to be granted LPR status. Since DACA was implemented, and despite multiple bipartisan efforts, Congress has not passed legislation to provide Dreamers with a pathway to adjust to LPR st