Coinciding with the first half of the second Trump era, a Republican and a Democratic legislator introduced an updated version of the DIGNITY Act of 2025: an immigration reform bill described by its authors as “bold, historic, and common sense.”
Two weeks after its reintroduction, Florida Republican Congresswoman María Elvira Salazar and Texas Democrat Verónica Escobar have amassed around twenty sponsors, but the chances of it being passed in this legislative session and signed into law are low without the support of Donald Trump, which seems highly unlikely.
“President Trump, sir, the same God who saved you from death in Pennsylvania a year ago and returned you to the Oval Office against all odds is the same Almighty God from whom millions and millions implore some form of dignity, not amnesty,” Salazar said during the bill’s presentation.
“I have witnessed firsthand the devastating consequences of our broken immigration system… I believe the Dignity Act of 2025 is a crucial first step in reforming this broken system,” declared Mexican-American Congresswoman Escobar.
The Dignity Act 2025 opens the door to immigration relief for undocumented immigrants who were in the United States before December 31, 2020, and offers seven years of legal status with a work permit.
Unlike previous initiatives, the Dignity Act is funded entirely through the payment of $7,000 in restitution, law enforcement, and regular registration with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
The proposal does not provide federal benefits or a direct path to citizenship and is renewable based on good behavior.
It also includes a version of the Dream Act, establishes 10-year conditional status and a path to permanent residency through education, employment, or military service.
But the White House ruled out President Trump’s support for the new bill. “Neither the White House nor the president has read this legislation… But the president has made it very clear: he will not support amnesty for undocumented immigrants in any way.”
Despite polls showing that a majority of American adults agree that Trump has gone too far on immigration, the president has maintained his hard line against undocumented immigration.
This is not the only initiative in the pipeline. California Democratic Senator Alex Padilla announced legislation that would update the current Registration statute of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) by adjusting the Registration date so that an immigrant can apply for lawful permanent residence if they have lived in the U.S. continuously for seven years and have no criminal record.
The initiative provides a path to obtaining a Green Card for more than eight million people, including Dreamers, TPS holders, children of long-term visa holders, essential workers, and H-1B visa holders.
Regardless of the merits of these bills, their future is more than uncertain in the current political landscape, but that outlook could change following the outcome of the 2026 elections. Your vote is your voice, and it counts.
