US Representative Maria Elvira-Salazar (R-FL) recently pledged to reintroduce the ‘Dignity Act’ - a bipartisan major immigration reform bill - in June.
Praising President Donald Trump’s criminal illegal immigration crackdown, Representative Salazar argued immigrants who’ve exemplified “good conduct” and who’ve contributed to the economy should be offered a path to legal residency and citizenship.
Salazar promised the act's reintroduction will feature revisions, the content of which remains unknown.
The nearly 500-page original act covers border security, asylum claims, illegal immigration, agricultural competitiveness, and the US’s domestic workforce.
Salazar’s announcement of the Dignity Act’s reintroduction follows President Trump’s recent executive order eliminating the birthright citizenship rights of the children of illegal immigrants.
Regarding illegal immigration, the act grants amnesty to illegal immigrants who have been in the US for at least five years, provided they pay a $5,000 fine and possess good legal conduct.
“Protection for certain immigrants—earned through work, good conduct, and a yearly fine they will pay,” said Salazar. “This is not amnesty. It’s law and order with compassion.”
The program offers two pathways for eligible illegal immigrants: Dignity Status or the ‘Redemption Program.’
Those who select Dignity Status would receive work authorization, legal permanent residency, and travel authorization. However, they would be ineligible for citizenship.
The Redemption Program would create a citizenship pathway for eligible illegal immigrants and require passing English and US civics tests, performing community service, or paying an additional $5,000 fine.
To address legal immigration issues, the bill increases per-country quotas, expands visa opportunities for foreign STEM students, and cuts the legal immigration backlog.
Despite the Dignity Act’s bipartisan support, its efforts to create a pathway to legal residency contrast with the focus of the Trump administration, which has prioritized deportations and voluntary removal programs.
Last March, DHS released the CBP ‘Home’ app, which assists illegal immigrants’ voluntary departure from the US and assures them an opportunity for legal re-entry.
“The CBP Home app gives illegal aliens the option to self-deport, so they may still have the opportunity to return legally in the future and live the American dream,” said DHS. “If they don’t, we will find them, and we will deport them.”
