The bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus announced that it endorses the Dignity Act. The immigration bill was introduced by Florida Rep. María Elvira Salazar (R) and Texas Rep. Veronica Escobar (D) last year.
The Problem Solvers Caucus, which is composed of more than 60 Members of the House, espouses a commitment to advancing common-sense solutions to key issues facing the United States.
According to the press release from the caucus, the Dignity Act would do the following:
- Enhance U.S. border security with additional border infrastructure and equipment, increased Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) personnel and training, investments in border communities, and strategic planning and threat analysis developed by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
- Provide a pathway to citizenship for qualifying undocumented individuals, including Dreamers, by offering temporary legal status for a seven-year period to undocumented immigrants who pass a criminal background check and pay a fine.
- Expedite asylum processing to decide cases within 60 days by enhancing screening procedures along the U.S.-Mexico border to include criminal background checks and identity verification, ending “catch-and-release” practices.
- Ensure a globally competitive American workforce by creating pathways for skilled workers, supporting farmers and ranchers with an improved H2A workforce, increasing high-skilled employment-based worker visa opportunities, and reducing visa backlogs.
- Modernize and expand ports of entry to expand legal commerce.
In a statement, Rep. Salazar expressed that the country "desperately needs an immigration solution, and the Dignity Act is the best and most viable bill to secure our border and solve our nation's immigration problems." Calling the Problem Solvers Caucus "a critical group of lawmakers in Congress who are willing to advance solutions that prioritize national security, practical reforms, and economic growth," she celebrated the endorsement.
Pennsylvania Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R), who is the Co-Chair of the Problem Solvers Caucus, expressed that "for far too long, our immigration system has been a glaring failure, and Americans are suffering as a result." As such, the Dignity Act would address the immigration concerns, and Rep. Fitzpatrick calls the bill "a historic, bipartisan solution that decisively ends illegal immigration, secures our borders, and drives economic prosperity in the United States."
