Elected Republicans sometimes conjure memories of President Andrew Johnson, the cantankerous and muddleheaded Democrat who succeeded Abraham Lincoln.
Indeed, one contemporary described Johnson as “always worse than you expect.”
Congressional Republicans usually disappoint their voters, but those who push amnesty for illegal immigrants, such as Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar of Florida, somehow exceed even our worst expectations.
In a clip posted Thursday to the social media platform X, Salazar stood behind microphones and pleaded with President Donald Trump to support the Dignity Act of 2025, which would substitute a form of amnesty in place of mass deportations.
In sum, the Dignity Act would give illegal immigrants present in the United States since before 2021 an opportunity to achieve temporary legal status by paying $7,000 in restitution over a seven-year period, provided that they can pass a criminal background check.
Salazar began by shamelessly citing the first assassination attempt against Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024.
“President Trump, Sir, the same God who saved you from death in Pennsylvania one year ago, and who put you back in the Oval Office against all odds, is the same God Almighty who millions and millions are begging to for some type of dignity, not amnesty.” Salazar said.
Then, the congresswoman insisted that signing the Dignity Act would make Trump a president of historic significance.
“Sir, I believe that you could be for immigration what Lincoln was for slavery and [President Ronald] Reagan was for communism,” she added.
It sounded so enlightened, so humane, so glorious — that is, until the next sentence.
“You are a businessman who understands our economy needs a reliable working force in areas where other Americans don’t participate,” Salazar continued.
Ah, there it is. We need illegal immigrants to do jobs Americans will not do.
In truth, of course, that means employers want illegal immigrants to do jobs at wages Americans will reject.
Note, too, Salazar’s subtle use of language to distort the truth. “Other Americans,” she said, as if illegal immigrants qualify as “Americans.”
Mr. President, only you have the skills and political courage to fix what others were too afraid to touch.
The Dignity Act is your chance to make the best deal for our immigration system America has ever seen. This is your moment, and I believe you are the leader God has chosen… pic.twitter.com/BZELIeBFfn
— Rep. María Elvira Salazar (@RepMariaSalazar) July 17, 2025
Speaking of distorted language, consider Tuesday’s news release regarding the Dignity Act of 2025.
The legislation “allows certain long-term undocumented immigrants to earn legal status.”
In short, those who substitute “undocumented” for “illegal” nearly always have bad intentions toward American workers.
As one would expect, Trump supporters on X reacted with outrage.
In fact, Will Chamberlain of The Article III Project called it “one of the most profoundly offensive speeches given by a Republican politician in recent memory.”
This is one of the most profoundly offensive speeches given by a Republican politician in recent memory
It characterizes the political project of mass deportation – the one that Donald Trump won his presidency on, the one that millions of Americans voted for – as an object of…
— Will Chamberlain (@willchamberlain) July 17, 2025
Others suggested that Salazar should face a primary challenger in 2026.
You are getting primaried.
— Paul A. Szypula ???????? (@Bubblebathgirl) July 17, 2025
This is just amnesty, this is stupid.
It’s purposefully kicking the can down the road in the hopes a migrant friendly administration in the future can continue replacing Americans with foreigners.
I hope you get primaried for this.
— ???? Aristophanes ???? (@Aristos_Revenge) July 17, 2025
In sum, if we wanted a form of amnesty repackaged to suit employers’ interests, we would have voted Democrat.
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