Sen. Padilla to propose bill easing immigrant residency rules amid anxiety over raids

Senator Alex Padilla is introducing a bill to amend the Immigration Act of 1929, allowing some immigrants to qualify for lawful permanent resident status if they have lived in the US continuously for at least seven years. The current registry cutoff date is January 1, 1972, and this change would provide a pathway to a green card for DACA recipients and those with temporary protective status. The proposal comes as the Trump administration is expiring TPS deals and targeting hundreds of thousands of immigrants who were given humanitarian "parole" under former President Biden. Many of these immigrants are being detained and placed in removal proceedings. There are approximately 11 million undocumented immigrants in the US, most of whom have no way to earn permanent legal status. Padilla's bill aims to provide a solution for these individuals, who have established roots in the US, work in essential jobs, and pay taxes. However, the proposal is a long shot, as Republicans control both chambers in Congress and are unlikely to support immigration reform. A similar bill, the DIGNITY Act of 2025, is lingering in the House, focusing on border security, mandatory E-Verify, asylum reform, and legal immigration reform. Padilla's bill is part of a larger effort to reform immigration policies, including a previous proposal to ban federal immigration agents from wearing face coverings and require them to wear visible ID during public enforcement operations. The pressure to rein in some of ICE's enforcement tactics has some support among conservatives, but it's unclear whether the proposal would garner support from Republicans concerned about upsetting President Trump.