Sponsors (21)
Introduced September 11, 2025 by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez · Last progress September 11, 2025
The bill creates a meaningful, time‑limited pathway to lawful permanent residence, work authorization, fee relief, and confidentiality protections for eligible 9/11 rescue and related workers, while trading off a short application window, limited public oversight during rollout, possible law‑enforcement exposures, and modest public costs.
Eligible 9/11 rescue, recovery, and related vehicle‑maintenance workers can obtain lawful permanent resident status (and eventual citizenship) if they apply within the program window, providing long‑term stability and a path to citizenship.
Eligible applicants receive employment authorization while their adjustment application is pending, allowing them to work legally and maintain income during adjudication.
Low‑income applicants can avoid or reduce filing fees through waivers (means‑tested benefit recipients, ≤250% FPL, or extraordinary hardship), lowering financial barriers to applying.
Eligible workers and survivors may be excluded if they miss the 18‑month application window (even if extendable), leaving some unaware or unable to apply in time.
Applicants who knowingly misrepresent information can be denied, which puts people with incomplete, inconsistent, or poorly documented records at risk of exclusion.
Confidentiality carveouts permitting information sharing with federal law‑enforcement and security for fraud, national security, or felony investigations could expose applicants to enforcement actions unrelated to their immigration relief, undermining trust.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Provides a targeted path to lawful permanent resident (green card) status for certain noncitizens who performed rescue, recovery, cleanup, or related services at the 9/11 sites (including lower Manhattan, the Staten Island landfill/piers, the Pentagon, and Shanksville) and for vehicle‑maintenance workers exposed to World Trade Center debris. Applicants must file within 18 months of enactment (with possible extensions), can get work authorization while their application is pending, and may qualify for fee waivers and special privacy protections that limit use of application information for immigration enforcement. The bill requires DHS (or DOJ as applicable) to issue interim final rules quickly, allows denial for willful misrepresentation, excludes fee-waiver materials from public‑charge and sponsor affidavit considerations, and imposes penalties for unauthorized disclosure of applicants’ information. Granting status under this measure does not reduce immigrant visas authorized under existing law.