Representative Mike Lawler, a New York Republican, has urged lawmakers on Sunday to find a bipartisan path towards immigration reform, saying that trying to deport all undocumented people in the country is “not realistic.”
“We have over 25 million people in this country who are undocumented,” Lawler said during an appearance on ABC News’ This Week. “You’re not rounding them all up and kicking them out. It’s not realistic.”
Newsweek reached out to the White House by email outside of normal business hours on Sunday for comment.
Why It Matters
President Donald Trump campaigned on mass deportation of undocumented immigrants, specifically targeting those with violent criminal records. His administration ramped up immigration enforcement since his return to office last January.
However, his immigration policy has come under increasing scrutiny after tensions in Minneapolis exploded last month following the fatal shootings of Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti, both Americans, by federal agents.
Administration and local officials have maintained competing accounts of what transpired around both shootings, which prompted protests in the city and across the nation. Local leaders such as Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, both Democrats, have urged ICE to leave the state, arguing it has not improved public safety.
Last week, border czar Tom Homan said during a news conference the Trump administration has pulled 700 federal immigration agents from Minnesota, saying it was a result of “unprecedented collaboration” with local officials.
What To Know
Lawler addressed criticism of longtime immigration policy, saying that Americans were “rightly outraged” by the level of illegal immigration that took place during the Biden administration, and credited Trump with helping “shutdown” the “porous border.”
“The porous southern border needed to be shut down,” he said. “President Trump did that. The fact is that we have had nine straight months of net zero illegal border crossings. You’ve had 675,000 people deported; 1.9 million people self-deport.”
However, the congressman noted that there is a difference of opinion on how widely the deportation crackdown has cast its net, saying that Americans “do believe that if you’ve been in this country, right or wrong, for 10, 15, 20 years, and you have children and your grandchildren are American citizens, people don’t want to see families broken apart.”
“There’s got to be a legal path forward, not a path to citizenship, but a legal path forward for people to come out of the shadows so that they can work legally, that they can pay their taxes, pay any back taxes owed, pay a fine, not collect government benefits, and not commit a crime,” he said.
This is the foundation of the Dignity Act of 2025, a bipartisan proposal put forth by Republican Representative Maria Elvira Salazar of Florida and Democratic Representative Veronica Escobar of Texas, introduced in the summer of 2025, which they called “a bold, historic, and commonsense immigration reform bill at a press conference at the Capitol.”
The Dignity Act stresses an understanding of the fact that some immigrants in the country illegally have developed meaningful roots in the country, and it seeks to reform immigration policy without disrupting what has already been established, including protections for Dreamers and “the Dignity Program,” which provides a seven-year earned legal status that would be renewable based on conduct and restitution.
Lawler said he hopes to gain support so that lawmakers can “solve a crisis that has been effect for 40 years.”
What People Are Saying
President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social last month, in part: “During the four years of Crooked Joe Biden and Democrat failed leadership, Tens of Millions of Illegal Alien Criminals poured into our Country, including Hundreds of Thousands of Convicted Murderers, Rapists, Kidnappers, Drug Dealers, and Terrorists.”
He added: “Meanwhile, Democrat run Sanctuary Cities and States are REFUSING to cooperate with ICE, and they are actually encouraging Leftwing Agitators to unlawfully obstruct their operations to arrest the Worst of the Worst People! By doing this, Democrats are putting Illegal Alien Criminals over Taxpaying, Law-Abiding Citizens, and they have created dangerous circumstances for EVERYONE involved. Tragically, two American Citizens have lost their lives as a result of this Democrat ensued chaos.”
Representative Andy Biggs, an Arizona Republican, wrote on X last week: “Americans demand mass deportations, not mass amnesty. No amnesty. No amnesty lite. No ‘Dignity’ Act. More deportations.”
Representative Maria Elvira Salazar, a Florida Republican, wrote on X last month: “Our immigration system is broken, and only Congress can fix it. We need a system that lets ICE do its job, target criminals and bad actors, as the President promised. Not focus on gardeners and grandmothers. The Dignity Act does exactly that.”
Senator Bernie Sanders, a Vermont independent, wrote on X last week: “ICE is no longer an immigration enforcement agency. It has become Trump’s domestic army. If my ‘conservative’ colleagues truly believe in small government, they should join us in demanding an end to masked federal agents terrorizing communities across this country.”
What Happens Next
The Dignity Act of 2025 continues to gain momentum and support in the House of Representatives but has not yet received a date for a vote. It continues to move through committee referrals in the meantime.
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