Salazar & Escobar Proposed Dignity Act For Major Immigration Reform
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In a bipartisan effort, the Florida Republican Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar have teamed up with Texas Democratic Rep. Veronica Escobar on an immigration bill that would revamp asylum processing, reduce visa backlogs, and provide a pathway to legal status for millions of undocumented immigrants. On Tuesday, May 23, 2023, they announced this bill of nearly 500 pages. Rep. Salazar from South Florida described this historic moment at a news conference, “Two members of Congress -one Democrat, one Republican, have decided to work on one of the most divisive topics in this country: immigration. Who wants to do that? Very few people. But we’re doing it.”
The press release regarding this newly proposed legislation, in italics, below:
Today, Representatives Veronica Escobar (TX-16) and Maria Elvira Salazar (FL-27) are announcing the Dignity Act of 2023, a historic, bipartisan immigration reform bill. This legislation has been over six months in the making; it addresses border security and infrastructure, creates legal status for undocumented immigrants already living in the United States with the possibility of earning citizenship, establishes new pathways for asylum seekers, and creates new legal pathways for economic migrants and unaccompanied minors.
“Decades of congressional inaction on immigration law has real consequences, and the humanitarian crisis unfolding before our eyes requires a bipartisan solution,” said Congresswoman Escobar. “I have seen the toll our broken immigration system has on federal personnel, local representatives, nonprofits, and the migrants themselves, and the need for a realistic, common-sense compromise could not be more urgent. These challenging times call for both compassion and action, and the Dignity Act of 2023 offers a bipartisan, meaningful approach that restores dignity to people who have tried to navigate a broken system for far too long. With the introduction of this legislation that Representative Salazar and I have been working on since December 2022, it is our hope that Congress seizes the opportunity to solve the immigration challenges of today and tomorrow.”
“Our broken immigration system is frustrating Americans, causing people to suffer, and fracturing our country — economically, morally, socially, and politically. A solution is long overdue,” said Rep. Salazar. “I am proud to introduce the new and improved, bipartisan Dignity Act. This bill gives dignity to the border agents who need support, the job creators who need employees, the American people who need secure borders, and those who currently live in the shadows.”
This comprehensive bill makes meaningful reforms to several aspects of our immigration system:
- It grants additional pathways to citizenship, including through the new dignity program, certified agricultural worker status, or service through the armed forces;
- It grants legal status to undocumented immigrants already living in the United States with the possibility of earning citizenship;
- It establishes new pathways for asylum seekers and creates new regional processing centers;
- It creates new legal pathways for economic migrants and unaccompanied minors;
The last time Congress passed immigration reform was in 1996, and that was driven by Republicans and signed into law by President Bill Clinton. That bill eliminated several legal immigration pathways, essentially making fewer people eligible for legal status while making more people deportable. Currently, multiple federal agencies are working to manage the border using the tools they have. But Congress needs to update our immigration laws, pure and simple. And it’s not like Congress hasn’t had the opportunity; over the last 10 years, 7 major pushes for immigration reform have failed:
- In 2013, the Senate on a bipartisan basis passed the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act of 2013, but House Republicans refused to take up the bill.
- In 2018, a bipartisan group of Senators advanced the Uniting and Securing America Act to protect Dreamers and provide pathway to citizenship, but Senate Republicans blocked it.
- Again in 2018, the Senate tried to advance the United and Securing America Act “Common Sense” Proposal Amendment, but Senate Republicans blocked it.
- Yet again in 2018, the Uniting and Securing America Act made it to the Senate floor but was blocked.
- In 2019, the House passed the American Dream and Promise Act, but Senate Republicans blocked it.
- In 2021, the House again passed the American Dream and Promise Act, but Senate Republicans again blocked it.
- In 2021 and 2022, the President proposed record funding for more border agents, more asylum officers, more immigration judges, more border technology, and more detention capacity. Republicans in Congress failed to fund these both requests.
You can read a summary of the legislation here.
Florida Republican US Representative Maria Salazar unveiled the ‘Dignity Act,’ a bipartisan immigration reform bill she co-authored aimed at legalizing the status of undocumented immigrants living in the US, in the video published on May 23, 2023, by Reuters, as “Bipartisan bill offers migrants path to legal residency“, below:
U.S. Rep Maria Elvira Salazar on Tuesday introduced legislation that she said was a bi-partisan effort to reform immigration, in the video published on May 23, 2023, by CBS Miami, as “Immigration reform bill introduced by South Florida Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar“, below:
The Dignity Act would boost funding for border patrol and border barriers while shortening wait times for asylum seekers who are making their case to remain legally in the United States. Currently, it may take months or years for asylum-seekers to get their cases to be adjudicated. The Dignity Act also includes a “Dignity Program” that would give undocumented immigrants legal status if they pay taxes and undergo a criminal background check. The program would give up to 11 million people (including more than a million living in Texas) already in the United States the right to work and travel within U.S. The Dignity Program would also require employers to eventually use E-Verify, an electronic service that check employees’ immigration status. The Dignity Act would also create processing centers for migrants in Mexico, Central America, and South America, where they could be screened in advance for asylum eligibility.
Rep. María Elvira Salazar (R-FL), Rep. Veronica Escobar (D-TX), and others promote the Dignity Act, in the video published on May 23, 2023, by Forbes Breaking News, as “JUST IN: Maria Elvira Salazar, Veronica Escobar Promote Major Immigration Reform Bill“, below:
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