Dignity Act: Dallas business owner spurs effort to protect working immigrants
Dallas businessman aims to protect working immigrants
A Democrat from Texas and a Republican from Florida reintroduced immigration legislation that would allow people who are in the United States illegally but otherwise working and living within the law to stay in the country.
DALLAS - A Democrat from Texas and a Republican from Florida reintroduced immigration legislation that would allow people who are in the United States illegally but otherwise working and living within the law to stay in the country.
It’s called the Dignity Act, and it started with one man – a Dallas business owner.
The Dignity Act
The backstory:
Hector Leija runs a construction business in Dallas. In March, one of his employees was arrested for not having a driver’s license and deported.
"Great guy, hard worker, been in the country over 10 years, family, wife. He has a house, no criminal background, and they took him. And so, at that point, I had to make a decision. Am I going to take a stand? Or am I going to just wait and see if somebody else does something about it?" Leija said.
Leija did do something about it. He traveled to Washington, D.C. to meet with senators and representatives, hoping to get work permits for undocumented immigrants currently living in North Texas.
"Not only for our construction and for our roofers but for our farmers, our dishwashers, our housekeepers, our janitorial, our road guys, like all the labor-intensive jobs that are pretty much occupied by immigrants currently," he said.
The idea caught the attention of Florida Congresswoman Maria Salazar.
"She took interest in it and they reviewed my proposal and they said, ‘Hey, we’re going to rewrite our Dignity Act and we’re going to put that into our Dignity Act,’" Leija said.
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What's new:
Salazar first introduced the Dignity Action in 2022 and a revised version in 2023. Both times, the bill was left pending in committee.
The 2025 revision includes a program that would allow undocumented immigrants who have been in the U.S. for at least five years to apply for a seven-year deferred action program, clearing them to work and travel.
The qualify, they would have to pass a criminal background check, pay back taxes if any are owed, and meet other requirements.
"From what I know, there’s bipartisan agreement on this bill. That’s pretty exciting," Leija said.
What's next:
The bill still needs to make its way through the U.S. House and Senate in the weeks and months ahead.
"It’s been a pretty amazing ride and process to see and go through. And I’m just one man, a little guy from Pleasant Grove. And I’m doing it and I’m pretty excited for it," Leija said.
The Source: FOX 4's Shaun Rabb gathered information for this story by interviewing Dallas business owner Hector Leija and researching Florida Congresswoman Maria Salazar's Dignity Act.