❓WHAT HAPPENED: At least 11 GOP legislators are backing a de facto amnesty bill, The Dignity Act, which would increase immigrant inflows and grant multiple paths to amnesty for illegal immigrants.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Representative Maria Salazar (R-FL) is leading the effort, alongside other GOP House lawmakers and some Democrats.
📍WHEN & WHERE: The bill was announced on Wednesday, July 16, 2025, in Washington, D.C.
💬KEY QUOTE: “I don’t think that we should be arresting [illegal immigrants] who have been in the country more than five years, don’t have a criminal record, are good for the economy, and they are needed in construction, hospitality, and agricultural,” said Rep. Salazar.
🎯IMPACT: Critics argue the bill would harm American workers, weaken the GOP coalition, and benefit businesses relying on cheap foreign labor.
Representative Maria Salazar (R-FL) and at least 10 other GOP legislators are pushing The Dignity Act, a controversial immigration bill that includes multiple paths to amnesty for illegal immigrants. Despite Salazar’s denial of the term “amnesty,” the bill offers legal status to various immigrant populations, including individuals who have illegally voted in federal elections.
The bill also revives past proposals, such as President Joe Biden’s “Labor Neighbors” program and President George W. Bush’s 2001 “Any Willing Worker” plan, which would open the door to an unlimited influx of foreign workers. Among its provisions, the bill proposes creating immigration centers in Latin America and granting O visas to STEM PhD graduates from U.S. universities, allowing them to remain in the country.
Notably, Rep. Salazar’s legislation has cropped up several times in Congress, with a previous iteration, mostly backed by Democrats, being introduced in January this year. The National Pulse, at the time, provided a breakdown of the bill, which was then and is now tantamount to an amnesty measure.
Critics argue Salazar’s bill prioritizes business interests over American workers. It has drawn support from GOP lawmakers Don Bacon (R-NE), Mario Rafael Diaz-Balart (R-FL), Gabe Evans (R-CO), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Mike Kelly (R-PA), Young Kim (R-CA), Mike Lawler (R-NY), Dan Newhouse (R-WA), Marlin Stutzman (R-IN), and David Valadao (R-CA). A number of Democrats, including Veronica Escobar (D-TX) and Adriano Espaillat (D-NY), are also supporting.
However, pro-American legislators, including Rep. Brandon Gill (R-TX), are pushing back, denouncing the proposal as a “wage-cutting, coalition-breaking giveaway.”
Image by World Economic Forum / Benedikt von Loebell.
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