US House passes immigration bills including pathway for 'Dreamers'

US Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, Democrat of California, with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, speaks about immigration at a press briefing on Capitol Hill in Washington

The US House of Representatives passed two immigration bills Thursday that would provide legal status for millions of undocumented immigrants, but the measures have an uncertain future in the evenly divided Senate. Rather than trying to ram through comprehensive immigration reform similar to the massive effort that failed in 2013 -- and during today's heightened tensions along the US-Mexico border -- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi opted for a different strategy. She aims to coax a pair of more modest measures through Congress and towards President Joe Biden's desk. Many of the undocumented immigrants who would be given status under the bills ‘have worked tirelessly on the frontlines throughout this pandemic to keep our country afloat, fed, and healthy -- yet they are forced to live with fear and uncertainty because of their immigration status,’ Biden said in a statement.