GOP Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar of Florida announced a new bill Tuesday targeting border security and immigration reform.
“Today, I am introducing the Dignity Act to secure our border, provide a dignified 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’m grateful to my colleagues for joining me to keep the American Dream alive,” Salazar said of her bill.
According to a press release, the bill seeks to do three things: “stopping illegal immigration, providing a dignified solution for immigrants living in America, and strengthening the American workforce and economy.”
“We need to fix our broken immigration system once and for all, and big problems require big solutions,” Salazar said in a video announcement on Twitter.
Today, I introduced the #DignityAct — a historic immigration reform bill — to:
1) secure our border
2) provide a dignified solution to immigrants currently living in the US
3) support American workersBecause while we’re a nation of laws, we’re also a nation of second chances. pic.twitter.com/cFHSW0gc7T
— Rep. María Elvira Salazar (@RepMariaSalazar) February 8, 2022
The new bill would provide illegal immigrants a shot at “redemption,” Salazar said. She explained that the system would grant illegal immigrants the ability to become U.S. citizens by participating in the “Dignity Program.”
The program would require that participating illegal immigrants who have lived in the U.S. for more than five years, who have not been convicted of a crime, who work, and who pay taxes be barred from receiving federal assistance and pay $1,000 a year for 10 years.
Salazar says this “will create a pot for American workers.”
“For every immigrant in the Dignity Program, two American workers will be retrained.”
After the Dignity Program, the Redemption Program is possible. According to Salazar, this program will take another five years and involve “learning English or history and helping your community.”
“It gives the business community new hands to fill millions of millions of jobs available,” she said of the bill’s benefits to the economy.
