Sponsors (21)
Official title: To provide individuals who performed rescue, recovery, demolition, debris cleanup, or other related services after the September 11 terrorist attacks an opportunity to adjust their status to that of lawful permanent residents, and for other purposes.
Introduced September 11, 2025 by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez · Last progress September 11, 2025
The bill creates a time-limited pathway to permanent residency, work authorization, fee relief, and privacy protections for noncitizen 9/11 rescue and recovery workers, balancing significant benefits for eligible individuals against administrative costs, a short application window, and strict fraud penalties that could permanently bar some applicants.
Noncitizen 9/11 rescue, recovery, or cleanup workers can obtain lawful permanent resident (green card) status if they apply within the statutory window, giving eligible survivors and workers long-term immigration stability.
Applicants are authorized to work while their adjustment application is pending, preventing immediate job disruption and loss of income for applicants and their families.
DHS must waive filing fees for applicants on means-tested benefits, with income at or below 250% of the poverty line, or facing extraordinary hardship, reducing financial barriers to applying.
The 18‑month application window (subject only to discretionary extension) may leave eligible 9/11 workers or survivors unaware or unable to apply in time, potentially denying relief to many who would otherwise qualify.
Applicants who willfully provide material misrepresentations are permanently barred from benefits under the section, creating a harsh, irreversible penalty that could disqualify people for errors or disputed facts.
Implementation requires rapid rulemaking and administrative work (interim rules in 90 days, final in 180), imposing costs and workload on DHS/DOJ that could strain agency resources and slow other case processing.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Creates a path to lawful permanent resident status for specified noncitizen 9/11 rescue, recovery, and cleanup workers and volunteers who apply within 18 months.
Provides a path to lawful permanent resident status for certain noncitizens who worked or volunteered in rescue, recovery, debris cleanup, or related support services after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks if they apply within 18 months of the law taking effect (with limited extensions). It defines eligible work locations and time windows (lower Manhattan sites, Staten Island landfill and piers, Pentagon, and Shanksville), sets minimum-hour thresholds for eligibility, requires work authorization while adjustment applications are pending, allows fee waivers for low-income or hardship applicants, and bars relief for applicants who willfully made material misrepresentations.