Tegucigalpa, Honduras.- A proposal called the Dignity Law, which is sold as a comprehensive and sustainable strategy to reform U.S. immigration laws, will be promoted by Republican congressmen during Donald Trump’s second term.
The legislation, which has remained deceitful since 2023, promises to open the doors to legalization and permanent residence to 12 million Latino immigrants, including thousands of Hondurans who entered U.S. territory five years ago.
The initiative covers 490,000 compatriots living illegally, according to the Foreign Ministry’s data, some 578,680 Hondurans benefiting from the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. Also to more than 150,000 Hondurans who are under the Temporary Protection Status (TPS) and their children.
Congressman Maria Salazar informed us that this law will be pushed back into Trump’s new administration. Recently, when we were at the close of the elections, he said that with Trump the law would be passed because he has his support and Congress, said Juan Flores, president of the September 15 Association.
The project will seek to stop illegal migration, provide a dignified solution for undocumented people living in the United States and strengthen the workforce to make the U.S. economy competitive and prosperous.
Although the initiative seems to be far from Trump’s anti-immigrant policies, María Elvira Salazar considered on her social networks that the United States needs comprehensive reform, that brings out of the shadows to those who are here and provide opportunities for those who come to contribute to the country.
The proposal will have $25 billion to secure the southern border of the United States; build physical barriers and deploy the most up-to-date technology at the border; and hire thousands of new Border Patrol agents, with the intention of arresting criminals crossing the border illegally.
For the expert lawyer on migration issues, Marcela Caro, the Dignity Law is a tool that will help legalize those with a clean history in the U.S.
It’s a path to residence, it’s the immigration reform that’s needed. You will no longer need a TPS or a Parole. All persons who do not have a criminal record, who have paid their taxes, will be able to apply to this Dignity Act with a permanent residence immediately once it is approved, Caro said.
EL HERALDO consulted with authorities of the Government of Honduras on this law and although they applauded the measure, they requested caution until it is a fact.
If it were to be realized, it would be a great event. The last time something similar was done was in Ronald Reagan’s administration in the 1980s, said Antonio García, vice chancellor of Honduras. However, he warned that expectations must not be raised ahead of time.
Along the same lines as García, Wilson Paz, director of the National Institute of Migration (INM), said that on the basis of the changes made in the U.S. legislature and executive, we will be able to issue an opinion, but so far it is well seen by migrants.
Protects asylum applications
The proposal includes the creation of so-called humanitarian camps for people who arrived irregularly and are seeking asylum on the border of Mexico and the United States.
Migrants will be held in these centers for up to 60 days, with access to food and health services, as recently explained by Democratic Congressman Veronica Escobar.
To this end, they propose the construction of five migrant centers in Latin America to stop the caravans of migrants and prevent people from making the perilous journey to land to the United States.
The centres plan to provide asylum pre-selection, child reunification and work advice to determine eligibility for work visas.
It seeks to take “strong measures against asylum fraud by increasing penalties for those who make false statements or provide false documentation.”
Strengthen security
Legislation implements a security and development strategy to address instability in Central America. This will help to generate stability and economic development in Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras.
And it aims to maintain control of the authorities over transnational criminal networks, smugglers, human traffickers, drug traffickers and gangs such as MS-13 and Gang 18.
It sets out a new two-strikes policy for anyone trapped crossing in a port other than entry, to ensure that legitimate asylum seekers are properly prosecuted.
Migrants from Honduras represent the first home country of asylum seekers in the United States waiting in Tijuana, the largest city on Mexico’s northern border, where they continue to arrive despite the uncertainty that unleashed Trump’s victory.
What about deportations?
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump promised during the campaign that he will boost mass deportations of migrants.
For analyst Carlos Urbizo, Trump only uses aggressive speech because in history it has been shown that it is the Democrats who have most deported migrants.
Trump wants to frighten, but Republicans never deport like Democrats. “It doesn’t mean there will be no deportations, but they won’t be like the ones Trump is trying to infuse,” he said.
He considered that this law has a future, as Donald Trump has full support from Congress, as he has won the majority, even some Democrats also support this project.
Data from the National Institute of Migration show that 95,639 Hondurans were deported during Trump’s administration (2016-2020), while during the administration of President Joseph Biden (which ends in January) 113,122 compatriots have been deported.
For activist Juan Flores, this creates uncertainty, because Trump has expressed that he will deport undocumented people, but with this law we don’t know what will happen.
For analyst Ricardo Puerta, it is not in the United States’ interest to deport these people because it would affect their economy and the labor force abroad is less expensive.
This article was translated after first appearing in El Heraldo