FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—Members of the House Freedom Caucus say they are going to reject any legislation they see as granting mass amnesty to illegal aliens.
In statements made to The Daily Signal on Wednesday, three members of the caucus said they will not allow such a bill to be enacted.
The members specifically called out the DIGNIDAD (Dignity) Act of 2025, introduced in July by Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar, R-Fla., which would grant legal residence to certain illegal immigrants who have lived in the United States since at least 2021. The bill has bipartisan support, with more than two dozen co-sponsors.
“The DIGNIDAD Act is a mass migration bill that gives mass amnesty to millions,” Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, told The Daily Signal. “It stops President [Donald] Trump from deporting illegal aliens swiftly.”
Other Freedom Caucus members echoed Gill’s criticism, saying they oppose any legislation that they believe rewards illegal immigration.
“I will not reward illegal aliens with citizenship because they provide cheap labor to the wealthy donor class,” Rep. Randy Fine, R-Fla., told The Daily Signal. “Doing that makes us no better than the Democrats. Dignity for Americans, not for illegals.”
Fine added that he “will never vote for amnesty.”
Other members also expressed their opposition to such legislation.
“The correct amount of amnesty for foreign invaders is zero,” Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., said. “Illegals don’t get to break our laws and then get rewarded with staying in our country. I want every last one of them deported now.”
Rather than receiving legal residency, the lawmakers said illegal immigrants should face mass deportations.
“I don’t care if you got here last week, last month, last year, or 30 years ago,” Fine said. “If you came here illegally, you’re going home. The most important thing we should be doing in this country is mass deportations.”
Freedom Caucus members also argued that the Salazar proposal is deeply unpopular among House Republicans and GOP voters.
“It’s a massive betrayal of everything voters elected us to do,” Gill said. “Voters demand mass deportations, not amnesty.”
“There are about 20 Republicans who have co-sponsored the bill—less than 10% of the conference,” Fine added. “I think they would have a very difficult time getting anywhere near a majority of Republicans on board.”
Salazar and another co-sponsor, Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., have pushed back against those claims in recent days, arguing that the DIGNIDAD Act should not be labeled an amnesty bill.
“Calling the DIGNITY Act ‘amnesty’ isn’t just wrong,” Salazar wrote on X, responding to Gill’s criticism. “It’s a deliberate distortion, and it exposes just how little you know about the bill. This is enforcement first: zero tolerance for criminals, permanent border security, and hard-earned requirements to step forward and face the law, so American workers are protected, not undercut.”
Lawler defended the bill during a Sunday appearance on Fox News’ “One Nation with Brian Kilmeade,” calling it a bipartisan effort to address the nation’s broken immigration system.
The proposal, Lawler said, would “get people out of the shadows” by granting legal status, short of citizenship, to long-term illegal immigrants who have lived in the United States for at least five years, remained crime-free, paid taxes and fines, maintained employment, and avoided public benefits.
Despite those assurances, Fine suggested the Freedom Caucus will remain opposed to the legislation and any similar measure.
“Freedom Caucus members like me are willing to say no amnesty, period,” he said. “Others want to get along and manage the decline politely. I think it’s important to be clear with my constituents: I will never vote for amnesty. Never.”
Salazar and Lawler did not respond to The Daily Signal’s request for comment.
