Sponsors (21)
The bill creates a time-limited pathway to lawful permanent residence, work authorization, fee relief, and privacy protections for noncitizen 9/11 rescue/recovery/cleanup workers—providing stability and encouraging applications—but does so with a tight application window, strict penalties for misrepresentation, and additional administrative and fiscal burdens on agencies and taxpayers.
Noncitizen 9/11 rescue, recovery, or cleanup workers (and their qualifying families) can obtain lawful permanent resident status if they apply within the eligibility window, providing long-term immigration stability and access to benefits.
Eligible applicants are authorized to work while their adjustment application is pending, preventing immediate job loss and income disruption during adjudication.
Applicants’ information is protected from use for immigration enforcement and subject to disclosure restrictions, reducing fear of enforcement and encouraging eligible people to apply.
The 18-month application window (subject only to discretionary extension) may leave eligible people unaware or unable to apply in time, potentially denying relief to many who served or were harmed.
Applicants who willfully provide material misrepresentations are permanently barred from benefits under the section, risking harsh denial for those who made honest errors or face complex documentation issues.
Tight deadlines for rulemaking and new program administration (interim rules in 90 days, final in 180) and the need to implement intake and adjudication processes will impose administrative burdens on DHS/DOJ and could strain resources.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Allows eligible noncitizen 9/11 rescue, recovery, and cleanup workers to adjust to lawful permanent resident status if they apply within 18 months and meet defined work/time criteria.
Introduced September 11, 2025 by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez · Last progress September 11, 2025
Grants lawful permanent resident status (a “green card”) to certain noncitizens who worked or volunteered in rescue, recovery, debris cleanup, or related support after the September 11, 2001 attacks if they meet specified work/time criteria and apply within 18 months of enactment (with limited extensions). It covers people who worked at the World Trade Center area in lower Manhattan, the Staten Island landfill and barge piers, vehicle-maintenance workers exposed to WTC debris, and responders or contractors at the Pentagon and Shanksville sites during defined date ranges. Applicants are allowed to work while their application is pending, may receive fee waivers if they meet income or need tests, and are barred from receiving status under this law if DHS or the Attorney General finds a willful material misrepresentation. The bill sets minimum hours and date windows for eligibility and provides a short corrective filing period for certain fee-waiver denials.