Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar, R-Fla., admitted in a recent interview that her DIGNITY Act could serve as a launchpad for eventually granting citizenship to hundreds of thousands of foreign nationals currently in the United States.
The DIGNITY Act, according to a press release from Salazar’s office, “allows certain long-term undocumented immigrants to earn legal status, without amnesty or a path to citizenship” so that illegal aliens who broke the law can have an “opportunity.” The bill would create a “7-year earned legal status program allowing” illegal aliens “to live and work legally, with renewable status based on good conduct and restitution.”
In a recent interview with ABC 10, Salazar said certain individuals living in the country under Temporary Protected Status (TPS), such as 500,000 Cubans, would also be “part of the DIGNITY program.”
“We give them dignity, at some point in the future another legislator will write another law to give them a path to citizenship,” Salazar continued. “Right now, what we need to do, is to buy peace for these people, allow them to stay, continue working, because they are needed.”
TPS is a designation created by Congress in 1990 and signed into law by George H.W. Bush as a short-term humanitarian relief for nationals of countries undergoing crisis.
The designation was created in response to the civil war in El Salvador, which ended in 1992. But TPS never ended. TPS now provides indefinite status to hundreds of thousands of foreign nationals long after the supposed emergencies that drove them here passed. In fact, individuals with TPS can eventually apply for green cards (and then citizenship) under certain conditions. In other words, TPS holders already possess a legal framework to remain in the U.S. permanently — without the DIGNITY Act.
That’s what makes Salazar’s comments so concerning and revealing. If her reference to future legislation creating a path to citizenship were directed solely at TPS recipients, it would be redundant — they already have access to that path. Her statement only makes sense if the real implication is broader: that all DIGNITY recipients, including those who entered the country illegally and do not have TPS, are being positioned for eventual amnesty. Just as TPS is a program whose name includes “temporary” but has proven to be permanent and ever-expanding, the DIGNITY Act — if it becomes law — will likely do the same.
Her comments not only come across like a preview of what is to come but also confirm what most critics have suspected, that is, the DIGNITY Act is a Trojan horse. Though she has claimed the DIGNITY Act is not amnesty legislation, she undercut that defense. Her words suggest that her legislation could be the first step toward citizenship for those who would not otherwise be eligible — meaning not those with TPS.
And if Salazar is applying this logic to TPS recipients — who, again, do not need the DIGNITY Act to potentially obtain citizenship — what is to stop the same logic from being extended to the far larger population of illegal immigrants this bill would cover?
To clarify these implications, The Federalist reached out to all ten Republican co-sponsors of the DIGNITY Act and asked whether they still support the legislation in light of Salazar’s comments — and to state unequivocally whether they support or oppose granting eventual citizenship to illegal immigrants who would benefit from the DIGNITY Act.
New York Republican Rep. Mike Lawler’s Communications Director Ciro Riccardi said in a statement to The Federalist that “Congressman Lawler unequivocally does not support a pathway to citizenship for those who illegally crossed the border.”
Riccardi added, however, that Lawler “continues to support” the DIGNITY Act.
Colorado Rep. Gabe Evans said in a statement to The Federalist that he also still supports the DIGNITY Act. However, Evans refused to provide a response to the repeated, simple, yes-or-no question of: “Does Rep. Evans unequivocally oppose a pathway to citizenship for ALL persons who came here illegally?”
A member of Evans’ team told The Federalist — in response to one of the repeated asks of the aforementioned question — “If you’re looking for a black and white answer, that doesn’t exist given America’s current laws provide many ways immigrants can become naturalized citizens, such as through honorable military service.”
Illegal aliens are not eligible to serve in the U.S. military, and therefore ineligible to obtain citizenship through military service.
Nebraska Rep. Don Bacon said in a statement to The Federalist: “I oppose giving citizenship to those who came here illegally as adults,” adding, “There should be consequences for coming here illegally.”
Despite wanting “consequences,” Bacon said he thinks the DIGNITY Act “is a comprehensive plan and I like it.”
“I’d fully expect it to be amended and perfected like any other big bill that goes through Congress,” Bacon added.
The following representatives did not respond to The Federalist: Mario Rafael Diaz-Balart (Fla.), Brian Fitzpatrick (Penn.), Dan Newhouse (Wash.), David Valadao (Calif.), Mike Kelly (Penn.), Marlin Stutzman (Ind.), and Young Kim (Calif.).