The Dignity Act Is Undignified, Treacherous Slop
We voted overwhelmingly in favor of mass deportation last November. Mass amnesty will not be tolerated.
Bipartisan
Political commentator Thomas Woods put it best when he said, “Once in a while, the two parties get together to do something that is both stupid and evil, and that’s called Bipartisanship.” So then, what we are here to discuss today should be seen as just that: stupid and evil.
The Dignity Act of 2025 was introduced to the House floor the other day by Republican Representative Maria Elvira Salazar of Florida. It is touted as bipartisan immigration reform with provisions that will strengthen border security, reform the asylum seeking process and systems, and give illegals in the country a pathway to “dignity” through the newly formed Dignity Program that the bill is named after.
Before I tear this bill to shreds like the disgusting slop it is, we should give Representative Salazar the chance to make her case. As such, I have provided a public briefing she conducted to let you hear from her. Of course, if you want to hear more, you can look it up for yourself.
Perhaps you noticed that in this press briefing Representative Salazar makes two statements that are directly contradictory. She starts by claiming, “Dignity is not Amnesty,” and then just minutes later says that, so long as you follow the rules of this new program, “you will never be deported.” In other words, if you illegally entered the United States of America and enrolled for this new program, you will be forgiven and sheltered from deportation. That is Amnesty.
All of this is to say, we cannot allow ourselves to be duped by bipartisan claims and flowery names. This bill is treacherous. Let’s dissect the parts that are most alarming, vaccinate ourselves to the coming propaganda, and tie this all together by exploring just how in line with the American people this proposed policy is.
The Dignity Program
The Dignity Act itself is just shy of 500 pages, as all bills are today. As such, my analysis is based on the much shorter 22-page analysis of the bill published on Texas Representative Veronica Escobar’s house.gov page. Feel free to read it for yourself as well. Obviously, we are making a good faith assumption that this summary accurately reflects the text of the provisions within the bill. Even as such, there is still much cause for concern.
Let’s start with the part of this bill that is most alarming to me, and should be to you, which is the Dignity Program outlined in Division B, Title IV. Sec. 2301 clearly states that those who are enrolled in the program and meet the requirements, “would be protected from removal proceedings.” Well, what are the requirements?
“Sec. 2302. Eligibility; sponsorship. Undocumented individuals who have been physically and continuously present in the U.S. since December 31, 2020 are eligible to enroll in the Dignity Program. They must pass a criminal background check and pay an initial contribution of $1,000, which will be used to support American workers.”
Reworded, anyone who illegally entered the United States of America before the start of 2021 and has no criminal background would be eligible, so long as they can pay the $1,000. We are first asked to ignore the obvious, that being that approximately 0% of illegal immigrants have a clean criminal history, by definition. Entering the United States illegally is illegal, is it not?
How many illegal immigrants this applies to is also a widely contested debate, as the nature of illegal immigration is a tricky subject that is hard to track. The Department of Homeland Security estimates that, in 2018, there were over 11 million illegals residing in America. Interestingly, a study by Yale compiled a report that showed a range of estimates of illegals, with some estimates reaching as high as 35 million in 2016. The truth is likely somewhere between these two figures, though both are staggering and far too high.
The most obvious problem of all with this supposed program is hidden in plain sight. It claims that, in order to be eligible, you must have illegally entered the United States prior to 2021, but this is itself incredibly difficult to verify. As the Democrats often refer to them, these immigrants are undocumented. As such, it is then up to them to divulge to the authorities when they entered the United States, assuming they weren’t apprehended and released at the border previously. There is no way to tell if the date they give is accurate, and they have every incentive to lie. This is certain to grind almost all deportation efforts to a halt.
The bill goes on to further flesh out requirements for illegal immigrants enrolled in the Dignity Program. They must register and regularly check in with DHS by a certain date and pay restitution payments totaling $7,000. Additionally, the summary states,
“Participants in the Dignity Program must work or attend school for at least 4 years of the program, with exceptions for caregivers, those with disabilities and impediments, and those with young children.”
This program directly enables the continued displacement of the American worker. Politicians and activists, largely on the left, have peddled the same, tired lie that these workers are simply doing the work that Americans don’t want to do, such as picking crops, construction, or working in a meat packing facility. Just last month, ICE conducted mass arrests at Glenn Valley Foods in Omaha, Nebraska. The result was a lobby full of American workers with job applications in hand. The other main option would be that the illegal immigrant enroll in one of America’s premier Marxist indoctrination centers and stress our already overcrowded and increasingly low quality higher education system. This is hardly a preferable alternative.
At the risk of sounding cruel, I must point out that it is peculiar that we would set out provisions for people with disabilities and impediments. While it is obviously unfortunate that any man or woman be held down by their medical ailments, our healthcare system is already strained and expensive as is. However, it also seems a bit paradoxical to me that one could be so disabled that they could not work, but still able bodied enough to make the dangerous journey across the southern border and into our country. I am of course being a bit facetious here, but the claim is not entirely unfounded. This is all underscored by the central point that they should not have been able to illegally enter our county and continue to reside here regardless of medical status.
After completion of the program, illegal immigrants would be granted the ability to apply for the Dignity Status, which would allow them to indefinitely stay and work in the United States free from threat of deportation. The bill also includes plenty of flowery language and provisions to make this system seem more fair and balanced, but the underlying premise is in of itself a complete betrayal of the will of the voters.
Humanitarian Campuses
Another troubling provision in this bill that I have seen significantly less chatter about is in Division A, Title V, which seeks to reform the asylum seeking process. Part of this plan would establish new Humanitarian Campuses along the U.S.-Mexico border. The goal of these centers is to help expedite the asylum seeking process in a safe and secure facility. Not necessarily a bad idea, however, Sec. 1503 quickly derails this conversation.
“Sec. 1503. Screening and Processing in Latin America (Western Hemisphere). Authorizes up to 3 processing centers in Latin America, with one Central America, one in the Caribbean, and one in South America. These facilities will offer asylum pre-screening, family reunification services for children, and employment consultation services. This will prevent individuals from making a long land journey and disrupt human trafficking and smuggling operations that are profiting off individuals to our southern border.”
At first, this did not seem so bad to me, but I was quickly reminded of the governance we have had for the last several decades, and especially the open border policy of the Biden administration. What may seem like a well intended development could be quickly weaponized by the wrong president. What is to say that these centers would not simply be used as a means to import serf labor and continue to displace Americans in their own country?
Second, what is the purpose of building, staffing, and funding these new facilities when we already have embassies and consulates across the world? It would almost certainly be cheaper and more effective to simply build on our pre-existing infrastructure to fulfill these goals if that is something we want to do.
The more I thought about this idea, though, the more I disagreed with the underlying premise. That is, is it incumbent upon us to go out and seek these asylum seekers? I find myself coming up with the answer that it is not. One major contention I have with the asylum process as it currently operates is that these people are supposedly seeking safety, yet they may pass through a half dozen countries safer than the one they left. A Venezuelan would be far safer today in Argentina or El Salvador, both of which are closer to Venezuela than the United States. It is therefore more reasonable for them to seek asylum status in these countries before coming to the United States.
Significant parts of this bill are dedicated to increasing border security and further penalizing violations of our immigration system. Do not get me wrong, not all of these provisions sound so bad. The problem is that the rot contained within this bill is non-negotiable, and as such, this bill must be shot down.
Messaging
With the exception perhaps of President Trump, the vast majority of prominent conservatives have been horrible at their messaging. Just last week, there were prominent headlines suggesting that House Republicans had blocked a vote to release the Epstein files. These claims are incredibly dubious at best. The vote in question was to add an amendment to a cryptocurrency bill making its way through the House that would release the Epstein files, which House Republicans largely deemed to be an inappropriate time and place for such. Additionally, the House of Representatives really has no authority to force the release of the files in the first place! Yet, there was shockingly little clarity or counter from the conservatives on this matter.
I bring this up to highlight that we must not allow this to continue, especially on such an important issue. Let’s begin with the obvious, President Trump campaigned on and pledged to deport all illegal immigrants residing in the United States of America, and was given a sweeping mandate to do so. The Big Beautiful Bill just passed at long last, giving us the means to carry those deportations out, and now we are expected to approve of grinding that whole system to a halt? Absolutely not. This must be the core of the conservative argument against this bill.
Furthermore, we cannot allow the proponents of this bill to use semantics against us. Should they claim, “You want to deprive migrants of their dignity!” you must respond, “You would rather Americans be deprived of theirs instead.” They may try to frame this as, “Republicans vote against increasing border security!” This is obviously false. The Big Beautiful Bill was just passed and greatly increased border security. We are voting against mass amnesty. You get the point, do not allow yourself to be played.
Action
The Dignity Act may very well pass the House, but it would require 60 votes in the Senate to pass, making it unlikely to ever become law. That being said, it has illuminated a clear and present threat within our own party that seeks to undermine the will of our vote and engage in practices that disenfranchise you, the voter, and displace you in the workforce in your own country. This is unacceptable.
In total, 11 House Republicans are sponsoring this bill:
Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania’s 1st District
Dan Newhouse of Washington’s 4th District
David Valadao of California’s 22nd District
Don Bacon of Nebraska’s 2nd District
Gabe Evans of Colorado’s 8th District
Mario Diaz-Balart of Florida’s 26th District
Maria Elvira Salazar of Florida’s 27th District
Marlin Stutzman of Indiana’s 3rd District
Mike Kelly of Pennsylvania’s 16th District
Mike Lawler of New York’s 17 District
Young Kim of California’s 40th District
If we are serious about actually reshaping the country and reforming the Republican party to represent the will of the American people, the message should be clear. Rescind your sponsorship and denounce this bill, or face a massive primary challenge next year. I care not if it passes, you have made your intentions clear. You are a traitor to the American people and you would deprive us of our dignity for the benefit of a foreigner and a slightly cheaper product. Any Republican that comes out in favor of amnesty must be removed from office, that is the bottom line.
Thank you for taking the time to read this. If you are as concerned about the looming threat of mass amnesty as I am, please share this essay to vaccinate your friends and family to the coming propaganda. You may also consider subscribing for free for more content like this.
People need to harden their hearts on the illegal immigrant question.