Maria Elvira Salazar, a Republican congresswoman from Florida, presented this Tuesday at a press conference a new immigration reform proposal known as the Dignity Act (Dignity Plan, in Spanish), which would allow undocumented workers to obtain permanent residence in exchange for paying 10,000 dollars for a decade, in addition to part of his salary.
"[The proposal] addresses the situation at the border, the economy and the employment situation [of migrants]," Salazar said, adding that he has received support from both Democrats and Republicans and that his plan is ready to be officially presented. before Congress.
The bill provides that undocumented immigrants pay $1,000 a year, for 10 years, to join a program known as the Dignity Program, which will allow them to
"come out of the shadows and live in dignity"
as legal residents.
Farm workers milk dairy cows at the Welcome Stock Farms milking parlor on Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2022, in Schuylerville, NYHans Pennink/AP
The idea is that they can stay in the country and work legally if they meet the requirements of the bill: pass a criminal background check, pay taxes and allocate 2% of their monthly salary to a program that will improve the border control to prevent the passage of migrants and drugs.
That money will be used to hire up to 3,000 border agents, with better salaries, according to a statement.
"We will buy drones, radars, infrared rays, all
the new technology that is necessary
," explained the congresswoman.
The proposal would apply to migrants without documents who have worked in the country for more than five years, paying taxes and without committing any crime.
With that annual payment, workers (and any US citizen)
will be able to access training programs
to learn new skills to work in the field and in the restaurant and hotel industry.
This, according to Salazar, will have
a positive impact on the economy
, because "if you don't have hands in the field, in the service industry, Americans won't eat. If the economy doesn't grow, the American dream will die."
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After the payment period of 10 years, if the person wishes (it is optional), they can enter the Redemption Plan, for five more years, which would be a step towards obtaining citizenship.
To do so, workers would have to pay $7,500 to the American Worker Fund.
Applicants will also be required to learn English and civics, and to volunteer in their community.
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Salazar stressed that the borders will remain closed to those who try to enter "illegally" and that if someone tries to cross the border, "they will go to jail."
Part of the law also contemplates establishing four Regional Processing Centers to house asylum seekers at the border while their claims are processed.
"Families will stay together," she assured.
The three previous plans that have been rejected
Democrats had previously proposed up to three immigration reform plans.
The last one, known as plan C, proposed that it be included in the social spending plan promoted by President Joe Biden, valued at 1.75 million dollars.
However, Elizabeth MacDonough, in charge of interpreting the rules of the Senate, rejected this measure for the third time.
"The proposal is not very different from previous ones we have considered," she argued, "it entails substantial policy changes, with long-lasting effects, that
outweigh its budget impact."
The Senate parliamentarian had already ruled out the other two plans presented by the Democrats with similar arguments.
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In mid-September 2021, MacDonough prevented the social spending plan, which plans to strengthen access to health and social security, and combat climate change, from including the possibility of millions of undocumented immigrants becoming citizens.
The so-called
plan A
would have opened a door to citizenship
for
dreamers
, young immigrant beneficiaries of DACA, and also for beneficiaries of TPS (Temporary Protected Status), and essential and farm workers.
[This is the immigration reform approved in the House of Representatives. And now that?]
Plan B, which was also blocked by the parliamentarian, proposed changing the date of entry into the United States that is required so that immigrants without documents and without a record can request an adjustment of immigration status within the so-called Registration Law.
*An early version of this report stated that the payment was $100,000 over 10 years. The correct is 10,000.