DIGNIDAD (Dignity) Act of 2025 - Detailed breakdown

Requires the Secretary of Homeland Security to deploy physical barriers, tactical infrastructure, and technology to achieve situational awareness and operational control of the border.

Mandates at least 95,000 annual flight hours for CBP's Air and Marine Operations and requires 24/7 unmanned aircraft system operation on the southern border.

Authorizes the Department of Homeland Security's Body Worn Camera Pilot Program for five fiscal years.

Prohibits immigration enforcement actions in or near protected areas like schools, hospitals, and places of worship, except under specific circumstances with prior approval or in emergencies.

Criminalizes knowingly transmitting the location or activities of law enforcement with the intent to aid in a criminal offense under immigration or controlled substance laws.

Increases criminal penalties for aliens who reenter the U.S. after removal, with enhanced sentences for those with prior criminal convictions or multiple removals.

Increases the mandatory minimum penalty for child sex trafficking from 15 years to 25 years.

Increases the maximum term of imprisonment for an alien voting in a federal election from one year to five years.

Significantly increases civil penalties for hiring unauthorized aliens, with first-offense fines starting at $2,500. Allows for repeat violators to be debarred from federal contracts.

Establishes programs to block misused Social Security numbers, and allows identity fraud victims and parents of minors to suspend or limit the use of their SSNs for employment verification.

Establishes a penalty of up to 10 years imprisonment for knowingly making false statements or using false documents in asylum or withholding of removal cases.

Establishes new federal criminal penalties for using fraudulent statements or documents to obtain custody of an unaccompanied alien child, with enhanced penalties for trafficking.

Establishes a policy where aliens entering at an unauthorized location are logged and warned on the first offense and subject to expedited removal on the second.

Requires aliens without lawful status to apply for the Dignity Program or depart the United States within 12 months of the Act's enactment.

Establishes the short title for the section concerning mandatory E-Verify as the 'Legal Workforce Act'.

The mandatory verification requirement is phased in over two years, starting with large employers (10,000+ employees) at 6 months and ending with small employers (fewer than 20) at 24 months.

Provides employers who use the verification system in good faith with a legal defense against liability for employment actions taken in reliance on information from the system.

Mandates that employers using the E-Verify photo matching tool must match the photograph to both the employee's identity document and their physical appearance.

Directs restitution payments from the Dignity Program to fund apprenticeships and work-based learning programs for American workers in in-demand industries.

Recognizes individuals with a U.S. doctoral degree in a STEM field as having 'extraordinary ability,' simplifying their path to an O-1 nonimmigrant visa.

Allows student visa holders (F-1) to have 'dual intent,' meaning they can seek permanent residence without it jeopardizing their nonimmigrant student status.

Establishes a National Border Security Advisory Committee to advise the Secretary of Homeland Security on border security matters, with members from border states.

Requires the Secretary of Homeland Security to submit a Southern border threat analysis, a recurring Border Patrol Strategic Plan, and an updated Northern Border Threat Analysis.

Establishes an independent commission to develop recommendations and evaluate border enforcement policies, strategies, and their impact on border communities.

Mandates a minimum of 21 weeks of initial training, annual continuing education, and leadership training for U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents and officers.

Authorizes the hiring and training of U.S. Border Patrol Processing Coordinators to perform administrative, transport, and custodial duties for individuals in custody.

Requires the Office of Personnel Management to increase the minimum pay rate for GS-12 U.S. Border Patrol agents by at least 14% and harmonize pay with other CBP officers.

Establishes a trust fund in the U.S. Treasury to use certain taxes from program participants to fund immigration infrastructure and, subsequently, pay down the national debt.

Allows consular and immigration officials to require DNA evidence to establish family relationships for visa applicants and requires CBP to comply with federal DNA collection laws.

Replaces the existing I-9 process with a mandatory electronic verification system for all new hires, patterned after E-Verify, to confirm identity and work eligibility.

Requires verification of existing employees who are government workers, hold federal security clearances, or work on federal contracts within six months of the law's enactment.

Establishes that federal law preempts state and local laws regarding employment eligibility verification, creating a single national standard, though states may enforce the federal law.

Requires the Department of Homeland Security and the Social Security Administration to create an agreement for DHS to fund the SSA's costs related to the employment eligibility verification system.

Requires the Secretary of Homeland Security to establish at least two pilot programs using distinct technologies for identity authentication in employment eligibility verification.

Directs the Inspector General of the Social Security Administration to conduct audits to uncover evidence of individuals who are not authorized to work in the United States.

Creates a new, expedited process for asylum determinations at humanitarian campuses, involving initial and secondary screenings by asylum officers with limited judicial review.

Authorizes the establishment of up to three facilities in the Western Hemisphere to offer asylum pre-screening, family reunification services, and employment consultations.

Terminates the status of individuals granted asylum if they return to their home country within five years, unless compelling reasons exist or they are lawful permanent residents.

Requires updated standards for immigration holding facilities to prevent abuse and guarantees Members of Congress and their staff access for oversight purposes.

Directs the Director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to hire, train, and assign at least 300 new asylum officers for expedited asylum determinations at humanitarian campuses.

Prohibits the disclosure or use of information from Dream Act or DACA applications for immigration enforcement, with limited exceptions for fraud, national security, or felony investigations.

Allows aliens with visa petitions over 10 years old to pay a premium processing fee and mandates allocating sufficient visas to clear this backlog by fiscal year 2035.

Increases the per-country cap for family-sponsored and employment-based immigrant visas from 7 percent to 15 percent of the total number of visas available annually.

Establishes a coordinator to oversee and harmonize immigration functions among the Departments of State, Labor, and Homeland Security (USCIS).

Authorizes the construction of new ports of entry and the expansion or modernization of high-priority southern border ports to reduce wait times and enhance security.

Allows Dignity Program participants to enlist in the Armed Forces, waiving program requirements during service and granting eligibility for permanent residence upon completion of enlistment.

Amends and streamlines naturalization requirements for members of the Armed Forces, covering service in the Selected Reserve or on active duty.

Mandates the establishment of at least three humanitarian campuses on the southern border to process and manage asylum seekers, providing medical, legal, and administrative services.

Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to conduct biometric criminal history checks on potential sponsors and adult household members of unaccompanied alien children.

Creates a new humanitarian status for aliens in the Western Hemisphere who show overwhelming evidence of asylum eligibility during prescreening, capped annually by the number of authorized refugees.

Authorizes a program to forgive 75% of student loans for attorneys who complete four years of full-time legal service at designated humanitarian campuses.

Establishes a process for certain individuals who entered the U.S. as children to apply for conditional permanent resident status if they meet presence, age, education, and background check requirements.

Allows conditional permanent residents to obtain full permanent residency by meeting further requirements, such as obtaining a degree, serving in the military, or demonstrating consistent employment.

Creates the Dignity Program, offering eligible individuals deferred action from removal, work and travel authorization, and exemption from the 3- and 10-year re-entry bars.

Establishes requirements for aliens to participate in the Dignity Program, including continuous presence since December 31, 2020, passing background checks, and paying a restitution fee.

Participants must report to DHS, pay restitution fees, maintain employment or education, pay back taxes, support dependents, have health coverage, and are barred from federal means-tested benefits.

Grants a renewable 7-year 'Dignity status' with lawful nonimmigrant status, work authorization, and travel ability to participants who successfully complete the program.

Grants the Attorney General and DHS Secretary discretion to waive removal or inadmissibility for spouses and children of U.S. citizens if removal would cause hardship to the family.

Establishes a new nonimmigrant visa category for relatives of U.S. citizens and permanent residents to visit for up to 90 days for 'family purposes'.

Protects dependent children from losing visa eligibility due to age by locking in their age at the time their parent's initial petition or labor certification is filed.

Exempts spouses and minor children of employment-based immigrants from annual numerical visa limits, potentially reducing backlogs for these family members.