(NewsNation) — Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar, R-Fla., is reintroducing bipartisan legislation that would provide legal status to immigrants who have been illegally in the United States since 2021, arguing that mass deportations of workers without criminal records could severely damage key industries.
The Dignity Act of 2025 would allow immigrants who have lived in the country for more than five years without criminal records to remain legally, while requiring them to pay $1,000 annually for seven years plus 1% of their income.
“You have 10 million plus people who have been here in this country for more than five years,” Salazar told NewsNation on Monday. “When you’re talking about those people who work in construction, hospitality and agricultural, who have been here for more than five years, who do not have a criminal record, those people don’t have no business being in this country” if they’re criminals.
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The proposal excludes recent arrivals and those with criminal backgrounds, who Salazar said should face deportation without mercy.
The new version of the bill — sponsored by U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-Texas, and Salazar — includes tweaks they hope will persuade colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support it.
The Florida Republican’s proposal comes as the Trump administration pursues its goal of one million deportations annually, backed by a $170 billion immigration enforcement package that allocates $75 billion to Immigration and Customs Enforcement for new detention centers and 10,000 additional officers.
Salazar said she is concerned that current deportation efforts, which have targeted workers without criminal records alongside violent criminals, could create labor shortages in essential industries. More than 60% of those being arrested and deported have no criminal record, according to recent data.
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“Trying to deport 10 million plus is going to take him centuries,” Salazar said, referring to ICE operations. Her bill aims to allow immigration authorities to focus resources on the estimated 600,000 migrants with violent criminal histories.
The legislation would require universal participation in E-Verify, the federal employment verification system, to prevent future illegal hiring. Those granted “dignity status” would not receive a path to citizenship, federal programs, or health insurance, but could work legally, purchase homes and travel.
“And this is a one-shot deal, one program, one time. Why? Because now the border is going to be sealed. We do not want any more illegals,” Salazar said.
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Support for large-scale deportations appears to be declining, with a recent CBS-YouGov poll showing 56% of Americans disapprove of how deportations are being conducted.
The proposal is Salazar’s second attempt at comprehensive immigration reform, as Trump has heard concerns from farmers and hotel owners about labor shortages in agriculture and hospitality sectors.
The bill was introduced in 2023 but failed to get a vote in the House floor. The bill last sat in the House Subcommittee on Ways and Means. The current iteration has 18 Democratic and Republican cosponsors, according to Salazar’s office.
NewsNation’s Border Report contributed to this report.
