Alien Child Protection and Deferred Enforced Departure Family Unity Act of 2006

H.R. 4848, the Alien Child Protection and Deferred Enforced Departure Family Unity Act of 2006, proposes two primary changes to immigration enforcement to prioritize family stability. First, it would allow certain undocumented orphans under the age of 12 who are currently in the United States to apply for permanent resident status (a green card). Second, it would grant "deferred enforced departure" to undocumented parents of U.S.-born children under the age of 18, effectively protecting those parents from deportation and allowing them to remain in the country with their minor children.

For everyday citizens and residents, the practical impact of this bill would be a reduction in the separation of families involving U.S. citizen children and a formal legal pathway for young, undocumented orphans to remain in the country permanently. While the bill was introduced in 2006, it did not advance past the committee stage and has not become law.