Carbajal Co-Leads Bipartisan Immigration Reform Bill

U.S. Representative Salud Carbajal (D-CA-24) joined Representatives Veronica Escobar (D-TX-16) and Maria Elvira Salazar (R-FL-27), along with 17 of their colleagues, to reintroduce the bipartisan immigration reform bill, the Dignity Act of 2025. The bill includes commonsense reforms to legal status and protections for undocumented immigrants, border security investments, and improved asylum and visa processes.

“Our country needs to reform our broken immigration system,” said Rep. Carbajal. "Immigrants have long been key to the American economy's success, and I believe it's in our country's best interests to ensure the world's talent can continue to come here. I’m proud to co-sponsor the bipartisan Dignity Act to provide a commonsense solution that will create improved pathways for legal immigration while bolstering our border security.”

This comprehensive bill makes meaningful reforms to several aspects of our immigration system:

  • It grants legal status and protections to undocumented immigrants already living in the United States;
  • It reforms the asylum screening process to provide opportunity for review and access to council;
  • It creates new regional processing centers, so migrants do not have to make the perilous journey to the U.S./ Mexico border to seek asylum;
  • It invests in border security and modernizes our land ports of entry;
  • It mandates accountability for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE);
  • It provides a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers.

The last time Congress passed immigration reform was in 1996. That bill eliminated several legal immigration pathways, essentially making fewer people eligible for legal status while making more people deportable. As we are witnessing historic executive overreach and redirection of resources to our border, it is clear Congress needs to update our immigration laws.

A summary of the bill can be found
here and full text can be found here.

Last week, Carbajal reintroduced the Fight for the American Dream Act, legislation that allows participants of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) program to serve in the United States military and provides them a pathway toward U.S. citizenship after their service.