Washington DC – New York Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Alejandro Espaillat, and Grace Meng have teamed up to reintroduce a bill that would grant a path to citizenship for immigrants who worked or volunteered with 9/11 rescue and recovery efforts.

If passed, the 9/11 Immigrant Worker Freedom Act would allow immigrants who assisted in the aftermath of 2001's September 11 terrorist attacks to have an expedited process to finally achieve legal status.

Many of the people who would qualify were hired after the attacks to clean debris, asbestos, and dust without protective equipment, the Associated Press reported. In many cases, they suffer serious health problems to this day.

"By stepping up for our country at a critical moment, these individuals sacrificed their mental, emotional, and physical health," the three New York Congress people said in a statement submitted to the House Judiciary Committee.

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The bill itself is based on one introduced in 2017 by AOC's predecessor, former Rep. Joseph Crowley. At the time, Crowley's version failed to advance in the House.

The new legislation has a few key differences, including removing Crowley's requirement that people have paid their taxes in order to qualify. The more recent version also extends protections to individuals facing deportation proceedings.

AOC said on Twitter that the bill "would provide a path to citizenship for nearly 2,000 immigrant workers and volunteers who assisted with clean-up and search-and-rescue efforts at Ground Zero."

The news comes as progressives continue fighting to get a pathway to citizenship included in the reconciliation package, despite the Senate parliamentarian warning them against doing so.