PEMBROKE PARK, Fla. – Rep. María Elvira Salazar will start her second term in about a month and she will count on a Republican majority in the House to help her change the country’s immigration policy.
Salazar said she plans to reintroduce her Dignity Act proposal to address immigration-related issues such as requiring an electronic employment eligibility verification system.
“Both parties understand and recognize that we have a major mess at the border, we have problems at the economy, we need hands to work, we have supply chain problems, we have high inflation, and my bill ... I believe will solve all those problems overnight,” Salazar said.
The Cuban-American retired journalist described herself as “one of the most bipartisan members of Congress,” as “a brown girl from the hood,” and a “Hispanic girl from Little Havana,” and said that is how she will be asking her fellow lawmakers to pass immigration reform.
Salazar introduced her previous draft of the “DIGNIDAD” bill on Feb. 8. She used the word in Spanish as an acronym for “Dignity for Immigrants while Guarding our Nation to Ignite and Deliver the American Dream.”
The bill would have ordered the Department of Homeland Security to resume the construction of barriers along the U.S.-Mexico border, authorize DHS to request National Guard support, and require more U.S. Customs and Border Protection personnel.
It also included a removal deferral for eligible non-U.S. nationals, improving the treatment of minors without lawful immigration status, and a path to permanent resident status for “Dreamers.” She said passing immigration reform is the “moral, right, Christian thing to do.”
LEARN MORE: Putney’s complete interview with Salazar will air during This Week In South Florida at 11:30 a.m., on Sunday.
Watch part of the interview