This week, Congresswoman Maria Elvira Salazar (FL-27) and a group of her Republican House colleagues introduced the long-awaited Dignity Act, a complete immigration reform bill consisting of 3 core principles: stopping illegal immigration, providing a dignified solution for immigrants living in America, and strengthening the American workforce and economy. Here's what stakeholders are saying.
Jorge Lima, Senior Vice President for Policy at Americans for Prosperity: “It has been said again and again: America’s immigration laws have remained outdated and broken for far too long. The Dignity Act shows how far we can go toward fixing some of our country’s most urgent immigration needs. We urge lawmakers, on both sides, to take up the urgent task of improving security at the border, modernizing legal immigration, and addressing the undocumented population who are living in the shadows. We applaud Rep. Salazar for her leadership and call on her colleagues to join the discussion toward reform.”
Neil Bradley, Executive Vice President and Chief Policy Officer of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce: “We welcome Congresswoman Maria Elvira Salazar’s leadership in introducing the Dignity Act today. This bill would help many companies that are struggling to meet their critical workforce needs. We look forward to working with her and her colleagues in the U.S. House of Representatives to pass these commonsense reforms to our nation’s broken immigration system.”
Walter Kim, President of National Association of Evangelicals: “Since 2009, the National Association of Evangelicals has called for immigration reform legislation that recognizes immigrants as being made in the image of God and demonstrates biblical grace to the undocumented, while simultaneously securing our borders. Rep. Maria Salazar’s Dignity Act is an encouraging step in this direction, offering hope to millions of our immigrant neighbors who wish to earn legal immigration status and continue living and working in the United States.”
Galen Carey, Vice President of Government Relations at National Association of Evangelicals: “We especially appreciate the focus on the dignity of every human being, regardless of immigration status. In a bill addressing an issue as complex as immigration, people of good will may disagree about particular provisions. As the policy debate unfolds, we will offer recommendations to further strengthen this proposal. We encourage members of Congress in both parties to engage in serious negotiations toward a legislative package that can win bipartisan support in the current U.S. Congress.”
Jeb S. Smith, President of Florida Farm Bureau: “The American Agricultural Dominance Act, included in the Dignity Act, is a solid effort toward securing a stable and viable workforce for our domestic food supply. Rep. Salazar understands the challenges facing our agricultural sector, and most significantly, she knows that inaction is not an option. We are heartened by this serious attempt to solve our labor crisis in American agriculture, and we pledge to continue working with the Congresswoman and the Florida delegation in pursuit of a long-term solution.”
Ali Noorani, President & CEO of National Immigration Forum: “The introduction of the Dignity Act represents a decisive, constructive step toward immigration reforms that are long overdue. We are glad to see Republicans take this step and start a good-faith conversation around legal immigration pathways that are responsible and humane. We look forward to working with Rep. Salazar and her colleagues to improve upon the initial bill and help Congress negotiate smart solutions. We need Republicans and Democrats to build consensus on solutions that shore up our labor force and economy, offer certainty to all of us who depend on Dreamers and farm workers, and establish an orderly, humane process for migrants arriving at our borders. An overwhelming majority of Americans support these solutions and want them now. Rep. Salazar’s bill is a welcome step forward.”
Business Roundtable (BRT): “BRT strongly supports modernizing the immigration system to promote economic growth, reflect our values & keep Americans safe. We welcome efforts by @RepMariaSalazar & call on Congress to move forward with bipartisan reform.”
Shirley Hoogstra, President of Council for Christian Colleges & Universities: “For the many Christian college campuses with students whose long-term ability to reside and work lawfully in the United States is uncertain right now as a result of legal challenges to the DACA program, a legislative solution for Dreamers is an urgent priority. We appreciate that this effort would provide a path to citizenship for Dreamers, just as we have affirmed past congressional efforts that address this urgent concern. I pray this bill’s introduction will serve as a catalyst for the bipartisan negotiations necessary to finally resolve these challenges.”
Kristie De Peña, Vice President of Policy at the Niskanen Center: “For the first time in a very long time, we have a bill that prioritizes the needs of immigrants and Americans alike. It also earnestly addresses the concerns that both Republicans and Democrats have on so many divisive issues. We are excited to support this effort and are optimistic that it will open the door to sincere, bipartisan collaboration to get these reforms past the finish line.”
Mike Joyner, President of Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association: “American farmers have been facing a domestic workforce crisis for far too long. Agriculture urgently needs Congress to act, and Rep. Salazar’s leadership on this important issue is encouraging. It’s a positive step toward helping ensure farmers in Florida and across the country have access to a stable, legal workforce. We will continue to work with her and other members of the Florida congressional delegation to achieve the workforce solution that agriculture requires.”
Daniel Garza, Founder and President of The LIBRE Initiative: “The humanitarian crisis at the border along with years of a broken immigration system is untenable requiring bold and decisive action. We commend Rep. Salazar for her leadership on this issue and her commitment to address this crisis and so much of what’s wrong with our country’s outdated immigration system. Lawmakers on Capitol Hill, regardless of political party, should consider the merits of this bill and debate this topic in earnest for the good of all Americans – immigrant and non-immigrant alike.”
Brent Leatherwood, Acting President of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission: “For too long, immigration reform and border security have been pitted against one another. That shouldn’t be the case. This proposal provides a framework that encompasses both of those perspectives and, more importantly, starts from the position of affirming the inherent dignity and worth of each and every individual. This issue is too important to be sidelined by partisan politics. I am hopeful that what Congresswoman Salazar has put forth here signals the beginning of a concentrated effort to reform our broken immigration system.”
Rick Taft, President of Ideaspace: “With her introduction of the Dignity Act, Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar confronts the Gordian Knot of immigration legislation. A critical component of her draft bill is a pathway to legal status for our millions of undocumented residents. Perhaps equally critical is her recognition that our current asylum adjudication system cannot deliver at the speed we need without more money. She advocates for smart border technology and restructuring agricultural visas. The Dignity Act creates a framework for building a bipartisan coalition as the bill moves through the legislative process.”
National Association of Landscape Professionals: “The National Association of Landscape Professionals commends Representative Salazar (FL-27) for introducing the Dignity Act which demonstrates her leadership on immigration reform and also the need to address our nations labor crisis by reimplementing the returning worker exception for the H-2B program to alleviate the dramatic increase in demand on the woefully unrepresentative and arbitrary 66,000 cap. The returning worker exemption is a tried-and-true smart policy that exempts those returning workers from the 66,000 cap. Many H-2B workers choose to return to the same employer year after year because of the positive experience and being treated as integral members of the employers organization. These returning workers assist landscape companies in addressing peak seasonal needs which in turn also benefits the growth of their business, their domestic workforce and their customers. As the nation struggles through the worst labor crisis in decades seasonal businesses, like the landscape industry, will be decimated without supplementing our domestic workforce with much needed returning guest workers. Thank you Representative Salazar and the other original co-sponsors 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) for your leadership on proposing the Dignity Act that would finally address bipartisan solutions to immigration reform and our strained labor force by updating H-2B and other guest worker programs.”
Original source can be found here.
