Today, Congresswoman María Elvira Salazar ( FL-27 ) and a group of Republican colleagues in the House presented the long-awaited Dignity Law, a comprehensive immigration reform bill consisting of 3 fundamental principles: stop illegal immigration, provide a decent solution for immigrants living in the United States and strengthen the American workforce and economy.
The original co-sponsors are representatives Dan Newhouse ( WA-04 ), John Curtis ( UT-03 ), Pete Sessions ( TX-17 ), Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colon ( PR ), Tom Reed ( NY-23 ) and Peter Meijer ( MI- 03 ).
“ Our broken immigration system is fracturing the United States, economically, morally, socially, and politically. It is threatening the American dream and our way of life ”, Congresswoman María Elvira Salazar said ( FL-27 ). “ Today I am introducing the Dignity Act to protect our border, provide a decent solution to immigrants in the United States, and support American workers. While we are a nation of laws, we are also a nation of second chances. I am grateful to my colleagues for joining me in keeping the American Dream ” alive.
“ For 25 years, illegal immigration and the protection of the American worker, American sovereignty and the rights of those who sought refuge in the United States has been an act of balance between Congress and presidential administrations. These entities have been unable to work together to agree on a plan and laws, leaving the American people in chaos and danger ”, Congressman Pete Sessions said ( TX-17 ). “ I applaud Congresswoman María Salazar for coming to Congress with substantial ideas to solve this pressing problem. Maria has chosen to address an extremely difficult situation, one that has only increased in severity every day since Biden was sworn in. I am proud to join in the great work that Mary has begun to safeguard our nation and strengthen the rule of law ”.
“ The Utah Pact on Immigration, first adopted by the Utah government and business leaders in 2010, established 5 pillars of approach to immigration policy: federal solutions, law enforcement, families, economy and a free society. While in Congress, I used the Utah Pact to guide me in developing and voting on immigration policy. In accordance with these values, I am proud to support the DIGNITY Law, which addresses these 5 pillars ”, Congressman John Curtis said ( UT-03 ). “ Like the Covenant, the DIGNITY Law balances the need for a secure and functional border with compassionate policies that keep families together, ensures that employers have access to reliable foreign workers and welcomes people to our society and communities. Fair immigration policy is the form of Utah and I am proud to be an original co-sponsor and supporter of this important bill to provide certainty to dreamers, reform asylum laws and procedures, provide a path to redemption for those who have contributed to our society for decades and reform our broken immigration system in accordance with Utah values ”.
“ You just have to look at our southern border right now to know that illegal immigration has reached a point of crisis in this country. Since coming to Congress, reforming our broken system has been one of my top priorities, particularly by ensuring that we have a viable guest worker program for our agricultural industry ”, Congressman Dan Newhouse said ( WA-04 ). “ This legislation builds on those efforts, recognizes the contributions of immigrants, strengthens our national security, and strengthens our local economies and small businesses. I am proud to join Representative Salazar in presenting the Dignity Act, a comprehensive proposal to finally fix our immigration system that doesn't work ”.
“ Border security and comprehensive immigration reform are responsibilities in which Congress has not acted for too long ”, Congressman Peter Meijer said ( MI-03 ).“ Securing our borders and making humanitarian reforms to our immigration system are not mutually exclusive. Both actions are necessary for the United States to live up to its principles as a nation of laws and values. This bill offers real solutions to repair our unworking immigration system and will improve our national security, revitalize our economy, and enrich our society. There is room for both security and compassion in our immigration policies if we have the political will to find it. I am proud to join my colleagues in this historic effort and I thank Congresswoman Salazar for her leadership on this issue ”.
“ The Dignity Law presented by my colleague, María Elvira Salazar, It is a step forward in providing solutions to our flawed immigration system that for decades has left immigrants living in fear and uncertainty. This bill would provide a path to legal status for immigrants who already live and contribute to our communities, provide more resources for border security, it would target criminal networks and address the record backlog of cases in immigration courts. It's time for us to have laws in place that work for America as we strengthen our workforce and economy ”, Congresswoman Jenniffer González-Colón said ( PR ).
The Dignity Law is the only realistic solution proposed in Congress that fully secures the border, restores law and order in our immigration system, promulgates a 10-year Dignity Program that provides renewable legal status and offers an additional optional path of redemption for permanent legalization. This reasonable and compassionate approach will finally fix an immigration system that has been broken for decades.
The Dignity Act was drafted in consultation with American business leaders, agricultural and livestock industries, the religious community, immigration reform groups, and border security experts.
In March 2021, Representative Salazar announced her vision of immigration reform through the Dignity Plan. Less than a year later, Salazar has kept his promise. It is the first substantial immigration reform bill written by a rookie member of Congress in modern history.
Key provisions of the Dignity Law:
Border security and enforcement
- Authorizes funding to fully secure the United States border at no cost to American taxpayers.
- It implements the best border technology available, including radar, cameras, infrared, secure communications, and autonomous detection technology.
- It restarts all border infrastructure contracts currently on hiatus and increases funding for physical border infrastructure.
- It hires 3,000 new DHS border security personnel and prioritizes the recruitment of military veterans and law enforcement officers.
- Create a task force to detect and destroy cartel smuggling tunnels along the southern border.
- It forces 100% of the entire country to be electronically verified to ensure that all US companies are hiring legal workers.
- Increases criminal penalties for illegal border crossings and immediately deport illegal immigrants who commit crimes.
- Expands US authorities to prosecute transnational criminals, smugglers, human traffickers, drug traffickers, and gangs like MS-13 operating outside of the United States.
- It establishes 4 Regional Processing Centers to house asylum seekers at the border to end capture and release policies while determining cases.
- It enacts a last-to-entry judicial policy, first to go out to reduce the backlog of several years in immigration courts.
- Hire 1,700 new immigration court staff to decide on asylum cases faster.
- It slows down irregular migration from Central America and addresses the root causes of northern migration by bringing law, order, and further development to Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras.
- Create immediate legal status and a simplified path for Dreamers.
- Dignity Program ( 10 years ): Through the 10-year Dignity Program, undocumented immigrants will have the opportunity to work, obtain legal status, pay restitution, and comply with the law. They must comply with all federal and state laws, pass a criminal background check, work or serve as a family caregiver, and pay taxes. They must contribute to the American Worker Fund to start the program. The Dignity Program provides work authorization and protection against removal procedures provided the conditions are met. Dignity participants will pay $ 10,000 in refund during the 10 years of the program, must register with DHS every 2 years and must remain in a good public position.
- People in the Dignity Program will not have access to federal benefits or rights with resource verification. They will be net contributors to tax revenue and the US economy.
- The Redemption Program ( + 5 years ): The Redemption Program is optional, and people must complete the 10-year Dignity Program to start the Redemption Program. It will offer an opportunity for redemption and for more permanent legal status. The 5-year Redemption Program requires participants to learn English and civic education from the USA. USA, and provides an opportunity for those seeking permanent legal status to contribute to their local community either through local volunteer work, national community service or increased contributions to the American Worker Fund. It also opens eligibility for existing paths to citizenship, but it would not be a special path. People submitting the application would go to the end of the line.
- Application through a mandatory electronic verification system in operation and certification of a fully secure border will be completed before the Redemption Program can begin.
- Create a US Workers Fund, using restitution payments from the Dignity and Redemption programs, at no cost to taxpayers. This provides grants to American citizens for job education initiatives, apprenticeship programs, and vocational and technical education to provide opportunities for Americans to enter new careers.
- For every $ 10,000 paid by an immigrant in the Dignity program, it can retrain at least two American workers.
- Implement a market-based solution to our labor shortage by expanding and modernizing the H-2A guest farm worker program to adequately respond to the workforce that it is needed.
- Update the outdated definition of agriculture to reflect modern farming practices, establishing a policy that works for all farmers, growers, and ranchers in the United States.
- Provides wage stability to farmers and ensures a resilient and reliable supply chain for agricultural products.
- Fight food price inflation so families can continue to have access to affordable groceries and a wide variety of products that originate on American farms.
- Includes the H-2B Returning Workers Exception Act to ensure small, seasonal businesses can meet their job needs and contribute to post-pandemic economic recovery of our nation.
Original source can be found here.
