DIGNIDAD (Dignity) Act of 2025

Dignity for Immigrants while Guarding our Nation to Ignite and Deliver the American Dream Act of 2025 or as the DIGNIDAD (Dignity) Act of 2025

This bill addresses various immigration-related issues, including by requiring higher pay for U.S. Border Patrol agents, deferring the removal of eligible individuals without lawful immigration status, and implementing a mandatory electronic employment eligibility verification system patterned off the E-Verify system. 

The bill establishes several programs for individuals present in the United States without lawful status, including a path to lawful permanent resident status for qualified individuals, including those with deferred action for childhood arrival (DACA) status. In addition, the bill establishes the Dignity Program, which defers the removal of eligible individuals without lawful immigration status on a seven-year, renewable basis, provided individuals meet employment or education requirements, pay restitution, and satisfy other conditions. 

The bill also makes various changes to penalties and processes applicable to individuals entering the United States, for example by

• increasing the maximum criminal penalty for individuals previously removed or denied admission to the United States who attempt to reenter,
• authorizing the use of DNA testing to verify family relationships of immigrants, and
• establishing campuses at the border to process asylees.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) must create, and U.S. employers must use, a nationwide electronic employment eligibility verification system.

Furthermore, DHS may grant relatives of U.S. citizens relief from removal.

The bill also increases the per country percentage ceiling for family-sponsored and employment-based visas.