{"id":228082,"date":"2026-04-12T00:45:12","date_gmt":"2026-04-12T00:45:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/228082\/"},"modified":"2026-04-12T00:45:12","modified_gmt":"2026-04-12T00:45:12","slug":"conservatives-launch-fierce-attack-on-salazar-immigration-bill","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/228082\/","title":{"rendered":"Conservatives launch fierce attack on Salazar\u00a0immigration bill"},"content":{"rendered":"

WASHINGTON \u2014 While most lawmakers on Capitol Hill were focused on\u00a0President Trump and the U.S. military strikes against Iran over the Easter\u00a0break, conservative groups launched a surprise offensive against a bipartisan\u00a0immigration reform bill in Congress, creating a wave of attacks against the\u00a0plan introduced by U.S. Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar, R-Miami.<\/p>\n

Salazar represents Key Biscayne and made her home on the island in 2024.<\/p>\n

While the timing may have been unusual \u2013 with Congress out\u00a0of town \u2013 there was no surprise about the main argument made by opponents of\u00a0the Salazar bill.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe \u2018Dignity Act\u2019 is just amnesty,\u201d said U.S. Rep.\u00a0Mike Collins, R-Georgia, as more conservative GOP lawmakers dumped on Salazar\u2019s\u00a0bill<\/a> via social media from all around the country.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Dignity Act is mass amnesty and would constitute a\u00a0terrible betrayal of our votes,\u201d added U.S. Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas.<\/p>\n

\"\"Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, Jan 20, 2024 (U.S. House of Representatives via KBI)<\/p>\n

The word \u2018amnesty\u2019 has dominated the immigration reform\u00a0debate for over two decades, as conservative Republican opposition doomed\u00a0compromise bills in 2005 and 2013 and helped undermine a deal initially struck\u00a0between President Trump and top Senate Democrats in 2017.<\/p>\n

With the House on break, Salazar tangled directly with some\u00a0of her GOP colleagues via social media.<\/p>\n

\u201cCalling the DIGNITY Act \u201camnesty\u201d isn\u2019t just wrong.\u00a0It\u2019s a deliberate distortion,\u201d Salazar wrote on X.<\/p>\n

Salazar\u2019s frustration was obvious.\u00a0 \u201cREAD. THE. BILL. BEFORE. YOU. OPEN. YOUR.\u00a0MOUTH,\u201d she wrote at one point to a GOP colleague.<\/p>\n

Never miss a story! Sign up for our FREE newsletter<\/p>\n

READ. THE. BILL. BEFORE. YOU. OPEN. YOUR. MOUTH.<\/p>\n

Calling the DIGNITY Act \u201camnesty\u201d isn\u2019t just wrong. It\u2019s a deliberate distortion and it exposes just how little you know about the bill.<\/p>\n

This is enforcement first: zero tolerance for criminals, permanent border security, and\u2026 https:\/\/t.co\/mWYBWEbup0<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Rep. Mar\u00eda Elvira Salazar (@RepMariaSalazar) April 7, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

But it wasn\u2019t just fellow GOP lawmakers weighing in against\u00a0Salazar\u2019s bipartisan immigration reform measure, which has 20 Democrats and 20\u00a0Republicans as cosponsors.\u00a0 Outside conservative groups also suddenly rose up to denounce the plan.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Dignity Act is a mass amnesty bill. No amount of\u00a0bureaucratic hoops will change that,\u201d said Heritage Action, the political arm\u00a0of the Heritage Foundation.<\/p>\n

There was also outrage on talk radio, as some influential\u00a0conservative media voices went a step further in condemning\u00a0Salazar.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s really important that Rep. Maria Salazar loses her\u00a0next election,\u201d tweeted conservative talk show host Jesse Kelly on\u00a0Wednesday.\u00a0 \u201cRepublicans must be punished\u00a0for betrayal like this.\u201d<\/p>\n

There were also opposition voices from within Florida\u2019s\u00a0delegation on Capitol Hill, a stark reminder that Salazar\u2019s views on\u00a0immigration run against many inside the GOP.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Dignity Act should never see the light of day on the\u00a0House floor,\u201d said U.S. Rep. Randy Fine, R-Melbourne Beach, who has made no\u00a0bones about his views on illegal immigrants in the state.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cDeport them ALL,\u201d Fine posted on Tuesday.<\/p>\n

Why the sudden wave of conservative opposition to Salazar\u2019s\u00a0bill?\u00a0 That wasn\u2019t clear.\u00a0 There has been absolutely no indication that\u00a0GOP leaders are interested in bringing her measure to a vote in either the U.S.\u00a0House or Senate.<\/p>\n

Democrats said the uproar wasn\u2019t hard to explain.<\/p>\n

\u201cMAGA has excused skyrocketing prices, plummeting job\u00a0growth, war with Iran, and countless other Trump policy failures,\u201d said\u00a0U.S. Rep. Shri Thanedar, D-Michigan.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cBut the one thing that they can never forgive is a Latina\u00a0Republican Congresswoman trying to get bipartisan immigration reform.\u201d<\/p>\n

But while Democrats would like to see immigration reform\u00a0move forward in Congress, they aren\u2019t exactly rushing to defend Salazar from\u00a0attacks by other Republicans about immigration \u2013 knowing that the Miami\u00a0Republican could become a vulnerable GOP incumbent <\/a>in this year\u2019s\u00a0midterm elections.<\/p>\n

Just as Salazar won her seat in 2020 when Latino voters\u00a0swung towards the GOP in South Florida. Democrats on Capitol Hill know Salazar\u00a0could be in trouble if Miami-Dade swings back to the left this November.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Jamie Dupree<\/p>\n

Jamie Dupree is a veteran Congressional reporter based in Washington, D.C. He has written for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution,and is the author of Regular Order<\/a>,a newsletter about the inner workings of the U.S. House and Senate.<\/p>\n

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