NEW: GOP Rep. Doubles Down On Trump Betrayal, Begs For Amnesty On Fox News

Rep. Maria Salazar (R-FL) is once again facing fierce backlash from conservatives after using a Fox News appearance to push her controversial immigration bill—calling for what critics say amounts to amnesty for millions of illegal immigrants.

In an interview on Fox, Salazar said the time had come to “have that national conversation” about what to do with the millions of undocumented immigrants who have lived in the U.S. for years.

“I believe that after the border has been sealed… the moment now is to have that national conversation and determine who are we going to be targeting,” Salazar said. “Now there is another mass of people—who most of them are Hispanics—who have been here for more than five years. They have been contributing to the economy, who do not have a criminal record… and for that reason, I’m introducing today… immigration reform.”

Salazar insisted it’s “not amnesty,” but critics aren’t buying it. Her Dignity Act, co-sponsored with Democrat Rep. Veronica Escobar (D-TX), would provide a pathway to legal status for illegal immigrants who meet certain criteria—drawing comparisons to the 1986 Reagan-era amnesty that many Republicans now regret.

The plan includes a 10-year “Dignity Program,” requiring immigrants to pay restitution and maintain a clean criminal record while continuing to work in the U.S. The bill also contains measures to boost border security, including $150 billion in funding for Border Patrol and enforcement technology.

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But that hasn’t been enough to satisfy conservatives, who say the proposal betrays Trump-era immigration principles and rewards those who broke the law.

Salazar, who has tried to position herself as a “compassionate conservative,” is framing the bill as both practical and moral. She claims it offers a solution for long-term undocumented immigrants who are already part of the American economy and are unlikely to be deported in large numbers.

That defense hasn’t stopped accusations that she’s undermining President Donald Trump’s immigration legacy. Trump made border enforcement a signature issue of his presidency, cracking down on illegal crossings and building physical barriers.

Many in the conservative base see any legal pathway as a betrayal of those principles.

“Arrests in immigration courts, including people with I-220A and pending asylum cases, the termination of the CHNV (Cuban, Haitian, Nicaraguan, and Venezuelan) program, which has left thousands exposed to deportation, and other similar measures, all jeopardize our duty to due process that every democracy must guarantee,” Salazar said in a statement last month.

The Dignity Act of 2025, co-sponsored with Democrat Rep. Veronica Escobar (D-TX). The bill provides a path to legal status—not citizenship—for undocumented immigrants who have lived in the U.S. since 2021, pass background checks, pay $7,000 in restitution, and remain in legal compliance. Participants would receive work permits for up to 7 years and could renew if in good standing.