Endorsement of the DIGNITY Act revives debate over a measure that would offer renewable legal status — but not citizenship — to immigrants who have been in the United States since December 2020, including potential relief for Haitian TPS holders who have lost protection under the Trump administration.
A bipartisan group of nearly 50 House lawmakers has formally backed legislation that would offer millions of long-term undocumented immigrants a pathway to renewable legal status in the United States, reigniting one of the most contentious debates in American politics at a moment when the Trump administration is aggressively pursuing mass deportation operations.
The House Problem Solvers Caucus, an evenly split bipartisan coalition of Democrats and Republicans, announced its endorsement of the DIGNIDAD Act on Monday — a bill known formally as the Dignity for Immigrants while Guarding our Nation to Ignite and Deliver the American Dream Act, or H.R. 4393.
The legislation was introduced in July 2025 by Rep. María Elvira Salazar, a Florida Republican, and Rep. Veronica Escobar, a Texas Democrat, with 18 original cosponsors split evenly between the two parties.
The caucus’s endorsement, while not advancing the bill to a vote on its own, represents one of the most significant bipartisan signals of support for comprehensive immigration reform in the current Congress.
It comes despite intense backlash from elements of the MAGA wing of the Republican Party, some of whom have publicly campaigned against fellow Republican lawmakers who have cosponsored the measure.
For the Haitian community in the United States — particularly the hundreds of thousands of Haitian nationals who have lost or are losing Temporary Protected Status under the current administration — the bill represents a complicated and consequential development.
What the DIGNIDAD Act Would Do
The DIGNIDAD Act is structured around a single central premise: increased border enforcement and tougher immigration measures in exchange for legal status for long-term undocumented immigrants who meet specified eligibility requirements.
At the heart of the legislation is what supporters call the Dignity Program. Under the program, undocumented immigrants who have been continuously present in the United States since December 31, 2020, would be eligible to come forward, register with the Department of Homeland Security, and obtain protection from deportation along with work authorization.
To qualify, applicants must pass a criminal background check, pay an initial $1,000 fee, and commit to a multi-year participation period during which they must either work or attend school for at least 4 years. Over the course of the program, participants would pay additional restitution payments totaling $7,000, along with back taxes from the previous decade and an additional 1 percent income tax surcharge. Applicants who previously held Temporary Protected Status would be exempt from the $7,000 restitution requirement, according to the Washington Examiner.
Following successful completion of the Dignity Program, participants could apply for what the bill calls “Dignity Status” — a seven-year renewable form of non-immigrant legal standing.
Dignity Status would protect holders from deportation and allow them to work and travel legally, but it would not include a path to U.S. citizenship and would not allow recipients to sponsor family members for immigration.
Holders would remain ineligible for federal needs-based programs, including Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
Separately, the bill includes provisions modeled on the DREAM Act for undocumented immigrants brought to the United States as children. Under that pathway, individuals who arrived before age 18 and have lived in the country since January 1, 2021, could obtain a green card and an eventual path to citizenship, provided they meet education, military service, or employment requirements.
The legislation also includes substantial enforcement provisions: increased Border Patrol pay, mandatory nationwide E-Verify for employers, the establishment of three humanitarian processing campuses along the southern border, expedited asylum determinations, and stricter penalties for repeat illegal border crossings.
A Bipartisan Endorsement at a Polarized Moment
The Problem Solvers Caucus is co-chaired by Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, a Pennsylvania Republican, and Rep. Tom Suozzi, a New York Democrat. Both used Monday’s announcement to frame the bill as a rejection of partisan deadlock on immigration.
“America is a nation of laws and a nation of immigrants — not one or the other, but both,” Fitzpatrick said in the statement announcing the endorsement. “That principle has guided our work on immigration reform, and it is the standard any serious solution must meet.”
Fitzpatrick continued: “For too long, Washington has turned a broken system into a political weapon. The Dignity Act offers a responsible bipartisan path forward: securing the border, restoring order, protecting American workers, and ensuring legal status is earned through accountability and respect for the law. This is not amnesty; it is common sense, compassion, and the rule of law working together.”
Suozzi struck a similar note. “We can secure our border and treat people like human beings. We can deport violent criminals and give hard-working families a fair shot. We can enforce our laws and uphold core American values of freedom and opportunity,” he said. “The American people are tired of the excuses and political games. They want leaders to come together and finally get this done.”
Supporters of the bill argue that it would bring millions of long-term undocumented immigrants out of what advocates have long described as “the shadows” — allowing them to work openly, pay taxes formally, and participate in their communities without the constant fear of deportation that has intensified under the Trump administration’s enforcement operations.
Sharp Opposition from the Right
The endorsement has also brought deep divisions over immigration within the Republican Party to the surface. Critics from the right have characterized the bill as a mass amnesty, arguing that the legislation would effectively grant permanent legal residence to immigrants who entered the country unlawfully, and noting that immigration officials would retain significant discretion in determining eligibility.
Rep. Brandon Gill, a Texas Republican, has gone so far as to campaign against Republican colleagues who have cosponsored the bill publicly. In a recent post on social media, Gill targeted Rep. Young Kim, a California Republican who has signed on to the legislation, framing the choice between her and another candidate, Ken Calvert, as a referendum on illegal immigration.
“Young Kim cosponsored the DIGNIDAD Act, supporting mass amnesty for illegal aliens,” Gill wrote. “If you’re tired of mass migration ripping our communities apart, the choice is obvious.”
The political tension reflects the broader environment in which the bill is moving. The Trump administration has made aggressive enforcement of immigration law a defining feature of its second term, and any legislative effort that would expand legal protections — even one that does not extend citizenship — faces an uphill path in a GOP-controlled House.
The Haitian Stakes
For the Haitian community, the legislation arrives at a moment of acute vulnerability.
The Department of Homeland Security terminated Temporary Protected Status for Haiti in 2025, leaving an estimated 350,000 to 560,000 Haitian nationals — many of whom have lived and worked in the United States for years, some for more than a decade — facing the loss of legal protections and exposure to deportation.
Massachusetts alone is home to more than 45,000 Haitian TPS holders, according to the International Institute of New England, making it the state with the third-largest Haitian population in the country. Florida and New York host the largest concentrations.
Against that backdrop, the DIGNIDAD Act offers a possible — though narrow and conditional — alternative pathway for Haitian TPS holders. Under the bill, individuals who previously held TPS would be exempt from the $7,000 restitution fee otherwise required of Dignity Program participants. They would still need to meet the other eligibility requirements, including the criminal background check, the initial $1,000 contribution, the work or education requirements, and the 1 percent income surcharge.
It is important to note that the bill does not restore TPS. Nor does it offer Haitian TPS holders a direct path to citizenship.
What it would provide is a renewable, seven-year legal status that would shield qualifying Haitians from deportation and allow them to continue working legally in the United States — provided they meet all program conditions.
Salazar, the lead Republican sponsor of the bill, has also been an outspoken supporter of TPS for Haitians. She was one of four House Republicans who voted in April 2026 in favor of the discharge petition led by Rep. Ayanna Pressley, a Massachusetts Democrat, which forced a House vote to extend Haitian TPS through 2029. That measure passed the House 224-204 but faces an uncertain future and a veto threat from the White House.
Critics from Both Directions
The DIGNIDAD Act has drawn criticism not only from the right but also from immigrant advocacy organizations that argue it does not go far enough.
The National Immigration Law Center has criticized the 2025 version of the bill, noting that earlier versions included a path to citizenship that has now been eliminated for most participants. The organization has expressed concern that Dignity Status, as currently structured, would create what it calls “a permanent second class of people in the United States” — individuals protected from deportation but excluded from full participation in American civic life, including the right to vote, to access health and food assistance programs, or to sponsor family members.
The cost of participating in the program has also been identified as a barrier. Even with the TPS exemption from the $7,000 fee, the combination of legal fees, application costs, back taxes, and ongoing income surcharges could make the program unaffordable for many low-income Haitian families.
What Comes Next
The Problem Solvers Caucus endorsement does not move the bill to a floor vote, and the path forward for the DIGNIDAD Act remains uncertain. The legislation continues to face opposition from senior figures in the Trump administration and prominent voices within the House Republican conference, even as its bipartisan support grows.
The bill currently has about 50 cosponsors split between the parties, and the Problem Solvers Caucus endorsement is expected to add additional momentum among centrist lawmakers. Whether that momentum can translate into action in the current Congress, however, will depend on the willingness of House leadership to bring the measure forward for consideration — and on whether the political environment shifts in ways that allow bipartisan immigration legislation to advance.
For now, Haitian families across the United States are watching the legislative debate closely while continuing to navigate the immediate consequences of TPS termination. CTN will continue to follow developments on the DIGNIDAD Act and on the broader question of legal protections for the Haitian community in the United States.
Caribbean Television Network (CTN) is a multilingual digital news organization serving the Haitian diaspora and broader Caribbean community across the United States.
Editorial Disclaimer
This article was originally written in English. Versions in other languages — including French and Haitian Creole — are made available through AI translation software. Errors and inaccuracies may be present in translated versions. Only the English version should be considered the authoritative record.
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Problem Solvers Caucus endorses pathway to legal status for millions of illegal immigrants
