With illegal border crossings having slowed to a manageable trickle under the second Trump administration, some Republicans in Congress have decided to do the most Republican thing ever: Propose a mass amnesty that would stop the deportation of the majority of illegal aliens.
Rep. Maria Salazar (R-FL), Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY), and others joined with Democrats to introduce the bipartisan "Dignity Act," which would essentially legalize every illegal immigrant in the country who entered before 2021. Think DACA, but for every person who has crossed the border illegally.
I joined NBC’s Meet the Press yesterday to talk about the Dignity Act of 2025, the groundbreaking immigration proposal I introduced yesterday.
— Rep. María Elvira Salazar (@RepMariaSalazar) July 16, 2025
It’s time to do what is right for our economy and our security as a nation. Immigration is the top issue facing our country and… pic.twitter.com/YCZrKVOAQm
Here's the list of GOP cosponsors joining Salazar's gambit. For those unfamiliar with Lawler, he's the guy who held the 'One, Big, Beautiful Bill' hostage over a SALT cap increase that makes red states pay his New York taxes.
Here's a current list of GOP cosponsors of Congresswoman Salazar's "Dignity" amnesty bill.
— Jeremy Carl (@realJeremyCarl) July 16, 2025
GOP Voters voted for mass deportations of illegals, not amnesty. pic.twitter.com/elDEdmgqwZ
So what's in this dumpster fire proposal? It's amnesty, plain and simple, and amnesty at a level that has never been suggested before. It makes the old "Gang of Eight" proposal look moderate, all under the guise of empathy and "dignity," with Salazar claiming it's also vital for the economy. She's even taken to using left-wing language about illegal immigrants living "in the shadows."
"No more need to choose between amnesty and deportation, the Dignity Bill is the answer," Salazar said.
She said immigration is the shadow looming over the economy.
"It takes a lot of courage to step up to say that you want to be part of the solution," Salazar said.
The president recently signed the "big beautiful bill" that sets aside $150 billion to secure the border. But Zalazar said it doesn’t solve the situation of more than 10 million undocumented migrants.
If passed, this is how migrants would qualify to apply for "dignity" status:
- They must have lived in the U.S. for [more] than five years.
- They cannot have a criminal record.
- Must be working and paying taxes.
If approved, a migrant would pay a $7,000 fine over a seven-year period, and they must buy their own health insurance, with no access to federal aid programs.
The "must have lived in the U.S. for more than five years" part is especially cute. Salazar is trying to appeal to President Donald Trump by making only illegal immigrants who entered under the Biden administration targetable for deportation. I sincerely doubt he's going to fall for that bit of pandering. An illegal immigrant is not better or worse depending on which president they crossed illegally under, and no federal law should be based on such an arbitrary standard.
In its current form, this bill would offer mass amnesty to well over 10 million people. Another part of this, which isn't mentioned above, is that any minor who has entered illegally at any point would receive a four-year path to citizenship.
It gets worse, though.
I want to focus on one particularly brazen provision in Maria Salazar's amnesty bill. She made a huge point of saying "gang members won't be admissible!" And, indeed, there is a provision that says if you "voluntarily participated in offenses committed by a criminal street gang"… pic.twitter.com/koTYHXzbvn
— Will Chamberlain (@willchamberlain) July 17, 2025
I want to focus on one particularly brazen provision in Maria Salazar's amnesty bill. She made a huge point of saying "gang members won't be admissible!" And, indeed, there is a provision that says if you "voluntarily participated in offenses committed by a criminal street gang" you will be ineligible for either the Dreamer path to citizenship or the adult path to permanent residency.
But in THE VERY NEXT PROVISION, the legislation bars DHS from using state and federal databases to prove that someone is a gang member. Apparently, they have to actually get convicted of a criminal gang offense - WHICH WOULD ALREADY MAKE THEM INADMISSIBLE BECAUSE FELONIES AND VIOLENT MISDEMEANORS DO SO ON THEIR OWN.
These people think you are stupid.
Oh, and by the way, this bill is being supported by Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-CA), who was present with the mob that recently attacked federal immigration authorities in California. So yeah, if he's on your side, you're on the wrong side.
This is just an unbelievable turn of events. Congress has passed an increased budget for ICE, and the border has been secured in ways few thought possible. How is now the time to introduce a mass amnesty bill? It's such an insane attempt to surrender not just practically, but politically as well. I have a feeling these Republicans are going to be feeling the heat after this.
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