Two Latino congresswomen, Rep. María Salazar of Florida and Rep. Veronica Escobar of Texas, have proposed a bipartisan immigration bill called the “The Dignity Act”.

“They said it would allow people in the country illegally to work and not be deported. It would also speed up the asylum process and detain asylum-seekers who arrive through the southern border at one of five “humanitarian campuses,” where they will stay until their case is decided. It also would dock the pay of people without permanent legal status to fund border infrastructure”, according to NBC News.

Rep. Salazar made it clear that the bill should not be confused with the Amnesty Law signed by former President Ronald Reagan in 1986. She pointed out that the proposed bill has stricter measures and harsher penalties than a Republican border security bill passed by the House.

“Salazar, who is Cuban American, said the bill's goal is to ‘bring dignity’ to Border Patrol agents - who she said are ‘overworked and underpaid’ - to the business community in need of workers, and to the millions and millions of people ‘who are invisible to most Americans, who are doing the jobs others are unwilling to do’.”

The bill’s proposal comes after the Biden administration ended enforcement of Title 42, a health care law imposed during the pandemic, which has prompted more people to seek asylum or other forms of entry at the border. However, many question the bill's chances of moving forward, given that Congress has repeatedly failed to pass legislation that modernizes immigration laws and keeps pace with changes in the reality of migration.

The Salazar-Escobar bill lays out several provisions, including a requirement that the Border Patrol detain 90 percent of people who cross the border illegally before immigrants can obtain permanent legal status. In addition, it allows people without legal status for five years and without criminal records to work and be protected from deportation for seven years through “The Dignity Program”. Program participants would be taxed with a 1.5 percent “dignity fee” withheld from their paychecks, in addition to other fees. The bill also seeks to streamline the asylum process, create immediate protection for Dreamers, and simplify the path to permanent residency and citizenship.

While the bill is considered an important alternative to the Republican border security bill, some question its chances of passage since the House of Representatives seems to prefer maintaining the current flawed immigration system rather than seeking real solutions.