'Maligned': Florida Republican bucks Trump with immigrant protection law

South Florida Republican U.S. Rep. Maria Salazar introduced a bipartisan comprehensive immigration reform package on Tuesday that would provide legal status for certain undocumented immigrants.

The announcement comes as the Trump administration leans further into its mass deportation efforts, with hundreds and sometimes thousands of undocumented migrants being detained on a daily basis.

“The Dignity Act of 2025,” co-sponsored with Texas Democrat Veronica Escobar — is a revised version of a bill that Salazar first introduced in 2023. It also would provide protections for Dreamers but would not allow for any federal benefits for migrants or a pathway to citizenship.

The measure would create a “Dignity Program” allowing undocumented immigrants who have been in the U.S. since 2021 to apply to live in the country for up to seven years with work authorization. They would have to pay $7,000 in restitution, stay in legal compliance, and check in with the Department of Homeland Security regularly. It would be renewable if individuals remain in good standing.

The measure would also create a $70 billion “American Workforce” fund that would be used for apprenticeships, retraining, and education for citizens, with one American worker trained for every “Dignity” participant. It would be funded through annual restitution fees of $1,000 and a 1% payroll levy on Dignity Program participants.

It would include border security provisions, with barriers, drones, and radar used to stop the flow of migrants. It would require nationwide E-Verify for all employers to check on the legal status of their employees. It also calls for DNA testing to verify family relationships at the border.

And it would reform the asylum system. with most asylum cases to be decided within 60 days. It would include optional regional processing centers in Latin America. It also calls for penalties for fraudulent claims, with expedited removal for repeat violators.

The introduction of the measure comes as the number of migrants caught crossing the U.S.-Mexican border illegally has been setting record monthly lows this summer. The Department of Homeland Security reported earlier this month that the number of encounters and apprehensions on the southern border was the lowest in history.

‘A commonsense solution’

“For 40 years, every president and Congress has looked the other way while millions have lived here illegally, many working in key industries that keep our economy running,” Salazar says in a written statement.

“It’s the Achilles’ heel no one wants to fix. The Dignity Act offers a commonsense solution: certain undocumented immigrants can earn legal status — not citizenship — by working, paying taxes, and contributing to our country. No handouts. No shortcuts. Just accountability and a path to stability for our economy and our future.”

“The vast majority of immigrants are hard-working, law-abiding residents; and, despite how maligned they have been by the administration, most Americans recognize that it is in our country’s best interest to find a solution,” Escobar added.

“We can enact legislation that incorporates both humanity and security, and the Dignity Act of 2025 offers a bipartisan, balanced approach that restores dignity to people who have tried to navigate a broken system for far too long.”

The bill’s attempt to merge border security with a path to remaining in the U.S. bears some resemblance to the immigration reform bill co-sponsored in the U.S. Senate by Florida’s Marco Rubio in 2013. While approved in the Senate that year, it died in the House.

A ‘duty to due process’

A former television news anchor, Salazar has served in Congress representing Florida’s 27th Congressional District since defeating Democrat Donna Shalala in 2020 and has been re-elected twice since then.

Last month, she said she was “heartbroken” about the uncertainty she said was “gripping” her South Florida district because of deportation actions by the Trump administration.

“Arrests in immigration courts, including people with I-220A and pending asylum cases, the termination of the CHNV (Cuban, Haitian, Nicaraguan, and Venezuelan) program, which has left thousands exposed to deportation, and other similar measures, all jeopardize our duty to due process that every democracy must guarantee,” Salazar said in a statement.

An additional 20 members of the House from both sides of the aisle are listed as co-sponsors of the bill, including South Florida GOP U.S. Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart.