Nebraska Appleseed thanked Bacon for his support in a press release and said the bill creates a long overdue process for longtime TPS residents and Dreamers — like the group’s Immigrants and Communities Organizer, Alejandra Ayotitla.

“We are your coworkers, teachers, accountants, counselors, and more than anything, we are your neighbors,” Ayotitla said in the release. “We have been contributing for many decades to our communities across Nebraska. This represents a hopeful step closer to a brighter, stable future for many of us who call this country our home.”

Rep. Cindy Axne, D-Iowa, also supported the bill, while Bacon’s fellow Nebraska Republican Reps. Adrian Smith and Jeff Fortenberry voted against it.

Fortenberry said he has voted for Dreamer protections in the past when they were paired with border security and other provisions.

Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, opposed the bill and denounced it as “pure amnesty.” The outspoken immigration hardliner said that he thinks the handful of Republicans who support it are just assuming it won’t go anywhere.

During a speech on the House floor, King said the measure serves as an advertisement for more people to enter the country illegally. And he said it undermines the country’s immigration laws.