How About a Dignity Act for Actual Americans?
Congress Is Gearing Up for Their Version of the Purge. Here's Who's on...
Why Everyone Tracking Oil Tanker Traffic Is Pleased to See Where They're Heading
The Inevitable Has Happened for Eric Swalwell
The Locust Left Shows You Who Not to Vote for: A Handy Guide
'Parents Need to Be Aware': High-Profile Transgender Cases Shaping America's Battle Over P...
NATO: No Action, Talk Only
My Generation Cannot Sustain the America Democrats Are Creating
Trust Iran? Why?
Critical Race Theory: On the Ropes but Lingering
Goodbye NATO, Hello America First
Funded Silence: Congress Shields Itself While Lecturing Everyone Else
Man Accused of Smuggling 655 Illegal Aliens Sentenced to 8 Years
This New Poll on Iran Is Eye-Opening
OPINION

The Insulting DIGNITY Act

The opinions expressed by columnists are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Townhall.com.
The Insulting DIGNITY Act
AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein

The DIGNITY Act is all the indignity rage on Capitol Hill. It’s another immigration bill, putting out legal status for those in the country illegally, provided that they work and pay taxes.

Advertisement

The National Immigration Forum provides the following summary:

Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar (R-Florida) introduced the Dignity Act of 2025 (H.R. 4393) in the U.S. House of Representatives on July 15, 2025, a bipartisan effort to strengthen border security in the United States, provide undocumented individuals with an opportunity to obtain legal status if they meet certain requirements, and update aspects of the U.S. legal immigration system. The bill is co-sponsored by Democrat Rep. Veronica Escobar (TX-16) and an additional 10 original Republican co-sponsors. It is a revised version of the Dignity Act of 2023.

The bill mandates E-Verify, and it does not confer citizenship, but rather offers them authorization to work.

Sounds good? Not one bit.

This is another crappy compromise, reminding me of the bad bills that all died on the floor of the House in 2018.

Why can’t Congress pass legislation that further enforces our borders and removes all the illegal aliens? How about a complete moratorium on immigration? How about phasing out H-1B, E-B5, and chain migration? 

Most Americans have been beaten around the block enough times on this amnesty nonsense. Those days are long gone. We are no longer playing the hapless Charlie Brown to a scheming Lucy Van Pelt, who puts out the “immigration enforcement” football, promising to follow through on protecting the country, only to take away the football and allow for more de facto amnesty.

“Undocumented immigrants” are in the country illegally. That is a crime. There is no dignity in allowing those who break our immigration laws to remain. There is no dignity in disregarding the borders, language, and culture of our country so that a couple of well-connected corporations get cheap workers for cheaper goods and services to priced-out customers. For the record, there’s no such thing as cheap labor. You and I are paying for the illegals’ wear and tear on our infrastructure, their children’s education in our schools, and their healthcare in our hospitals. 

Advertisement

In February 2026, I attended a local GOP forum of prospective candidates (State Assembly, Congress, and Governor). One of the candidates, Michael Koslow, running for Congress in farm-rich, heavily agricultural Ventura County, touted his support for the DIGNITY Act.

Immediately, I called him on it: “That’s amnesty!”

He countered me from the stage: “It’s not amnesty.”

I riled him enough to make him respond. If there were no truth to my charge, he would not have tried to correct me. Koslow presented the greatest indignity of the DIGNITY Act: pushing amnesty without calling it such. They will still force through non-enforcement of our immigration laws and a pathway to legal status, i.e., amnesty, but they will tell us, “It’s not amnesty.”

Voters sent President Trump to Washington to stop mass immigration, end illegal immigration, and remove all the lingering illegals. Trump has not wavered in that effort. The wall is getting built, the illegals are still getting deported, and DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin is leading the charge without charging the country $200 million to tell everyone the obvious.

Yet Congress wants to foist this undignified legislative proposal on us? Why?

The Big Business-Big Ag sharks are swirling. They know that Trump’s days are numbered. Not that his life is in danger, but his tenure is coming to a close. There’s JD Vance, the erstwhile heir apparent, but the rumblings in the background suggest he may turn down a chance to head the Oval Office come 2028. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who commands a much greater executive profile, is preparing for this next Presidential bid. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has declared that he will defer to JD Vance in his (prospective) bid for President. But what if JD doesn’t run? And worse yet, what if JD Vance can’t shake the Tucker Carlson-Megyn Kelly anti-Israel phalanx that is slowly dragging down his chances?

Advertisement

The point is that a clear successor has not emerged for Trump, and the open borders lobby is seeking to sway things their way again. The Chamber of Commerce has been in the dog house for the last four to eight years because of Trump’s unswerving immigration enforcement. Perhaps they are hoping that former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley will run again, win, and set the stage for amnesty politics in the GOP. Perhaps some of the current MAGA Republicans can be “persuaded” to allow some illegals to stay. Think about the sudden decline and fall of Marjorie Traitor Greene, who spouted off on a podcast last year that we can’t deport everyone.

Her capitulation proved that no matter how much MAGA the politicians manifest, they can turn on the agenda and go for amnesty for the right price.

President Trump has faced plenty of betrayal in both of his terms. I gave him a hard time during his first term. Trump 2.0 learned from his mistakes and staffed his cabinet with the best and brightest. 

These DIGNITY betrayals are all from Congress, and Trump has to move carefully. 

Who are those amnesty backstabbers? Most of them are blue-state Republicans, but some red-state traitors are part of the amnesty mix. They just can’t give up the fight for cheap labor. They campaigned on it, and they must deliver something. Some of them still live in blue districts, and they have to talk the amnesty talk to keep getting elected. 

And Trump has to work with them to keep a GOP majority. 

Advertisement

Consider U.S. Republican Rep. David Valadao (CA-22), the Kings County dairy farmer. He has been pushing amnesty ever since he got into Congress. Valadao has weathered the most storms, having represented an interesting section of the Central Valley since 2012. It’s a two-to-one Democratic district, but he still gathers enough support from both sides of the aisle, plus his friendship with all sorts of farming interests. He’s the only Republican who can win, a lot like liberal Republican US Senator Susan Collins from Maine.

The same holds for U.S. Republican Rep. Mike Lawler (NY-17). He represents a blue district in upstate, which was once represented by the head of the National Democratic Congressional Committee, Sean Maloney. Lawler’s upset win against an entrenched incumbent helped Republicans take back the House in 2022. The district is so blue that Lawler—when he was openly discussing a bid for governor—got some pushback and support for reelection from the Congressional conference. They need him to stay in that seat because he’s the only one who can win. 

But Maria Salazar of Florida? She has no excuse. Her state has gotten redder by the minute, and her district is unassailable for Democrats. She represents a large Cuban enclave, one of the few immigrants who automatically vote Republican as soon as they land on our shores. Yet she wants to bring in more illegals? There are only 381 farms in her district, anyway, compared to over 30,000 farms in Nebraska District Three. 

Advertisement

What gives with all this pandering? She needs to go. It’s time for Trump to demand some real dignity from Congress and stop endorsing these amnesty-pandering losers.

Editor’s Note: Do you enjoy Townhall’s conservative reporting that takes on the radical Left and woke media? Support our work so that we can continue to bring you the truth.

Join Townhall VIP and use promo code FIGHT to receive 60% off your membership.

Join the conversation as a VIP Member

Recommended

Trending on Townhall Videos

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement