Reps. Maria Elvira Salazar, R-Fla., and Veronica Escobar, D-Texas, introduced legislation to reform the U.S. immigration system. (Getty Images)
The bill would be fully funded through restitution payments and application fees made by immigrants, meaning it will not rely on any taxpayer money.
The measure would also aim to end catch-and-release and further bolster security at the Southern Border as well as require employers across the country to use E-Verify, the government system for checking the legal status of workers.
It would also expand training, apprenticeships, and education for American workers.
The legislation seeks to address the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, which has heavily affected farms and food service providers and included raids targeting migrant workers at local businesses, sparking protests in Los Angeles and elsewhere across the U.S. against the president's mass deportation agenda.
A recent raid on two cannabis facilities in Southern California led to a few hundred migrant arrests and clashes between federal immigration agents and protesters. One person died after the raids and others were critically injured.
HOUSE UNANIMOUSLY VOTES TO MEMORIALIZE TEXAS GIRL ALLEGEDLY SLAIN BY ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS
The legislation comes amid President Donald Trump's mass deportation policies. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
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"In conversations across NY-17, I’ve heard a lot of frustration, both from employers struggling to fill jobs and families looking to reunite with their loved ones," Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., said. "We must do this by fixing our broken legal immigration system, securing our borders, and creating a fair, earned process for those who are already here and contributing. The Dignity Act honors America’s legacy of being a nation of immigrants and that’s why I’m proud to support it."
The administration has already begun working to provide some protection for certain migrant workers, and Trump said last month he was considering a way for some migrant workers to remain in the U.S.
"We’re working on it right now. We’re going to work it so that some kind of a temporary pass where people pay taxes, where the farmer can have a little control, as opposed to you walk in and take everybody away. What we’re going to do is we’re going to do something for farmers, where we can let the farmer sort of be in charge. The farmer knows. He’s not going to hire a murderer," Trump said during a June 29 interview on Fox News' "Sunday Morning Futures."
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/bipartisan-bill-would-grant-legal-status-certain-illegal-immigrant-workers