Good afternoon,

Last week, Reps. Maria Elvira Salazar (R-Florida) and Veronica Escobar (D-Texas) introduced a broad immigration reform bill in the U.S. House of Representatives called the Dignity Act. To summarize, the Dignity Act aims to strengthen border security, reform parts of the asylum process, provide a pathway to legal status for undocumented immigrants, and update aspects of the U.S. legal immigration system. Currently, this bill is co-sponsored by four Democrats and three Republicans, making this a bipartisan effort towards immigration reform in the House.   

Bipartisanship is not only a priority for us at the National Immigration Forum, but it’s also something that the majority of Americans across different political affiliations see as fundamental to achieve meaningful immigration reforms. In our most recent polling with the Bullfinch Group, 80% of respondents agreed with the statement:

"As the U.S. works to restore order at the border, it is important that Republicans and Democrats work together to pass immigration reforms that address labor shortages and inflation, and protect people already here and contributing."

Public statements responding to the introduction of the Dignity Act by leaders across various constituencies further confirm this sentiment:

The Alliance for a New Immigration Consensus (ANIC), a diverse coalition of 40 member organizations, said in their recent press release: "We applaud good-faith efforts among Republicans and Democrats to find border and immigration solutions. […] We encourage leaders in Congress to be open to bipartisan border and immigration solutions."

Leaders of evangelical organizations in the Evangelical Immigration Table, also praised this bipartisan effort. Myal Greene, the President & CEO of World Relief, said: "Legislative reforms to the entire U.S. immigration system are long overdue, but the only path toward broad, durable reforms is through bipartisan cooperation. I’m thankful to Rep. Salazar, Rep. Escobar and the other original cosponsors of this bill for doing the hard work of forging consensus across the partisan lines that for decades have stymied real reforms from passing into law."

Meaningful immigration solutions are urgently needed, not only for migrants at our borders and immigrants residing across the country, but also for our nation as a whole. The introduction of the Dignity Act as a bipartisan bill is a significant step in the right direction as it brings Republicans and Democrats together to find solutions that respect the dignity of immigrants while addressing challenges in our immigration system. Let’s continue to encourage our leaders to do this work together to achieve solutions that benefit us all.

Stay hopeful and committed,

Allison

Allison Bassett
Senior Field and Constituencies Associate
National Immigration Forum 

P.S. On Wednesday, June 7^th, the National Immigration Forum will be hosting a virtual conversation with the Migration Policy Institute (MPI), Metropolitan Group, and RAND on new research into migration narratives in Northern Central America. You can register here to join the call at 1pm EDT on June 7^th. We hope to see you there!

NEWS CLIPS TO NOTE:

NPR: Arguments over the legality of DACA will be heard in a federal court in Texas

DALLAS MORNING NEWS: Texas to enforce immigration laws under bill passed by Senate on Wednesday

ROLL CALL: Salazar, Escobar unveil comprehensive immigration bill

CBS NEWS: 1.5 million apply for U.S. migrant sponsorship program with 30,000 monthly cap

NBC NEWS: Florida farmworkers fearful ahead of new immigration law