Florida Republican Rep. Maria Salazar is courting Pope Leo XIV’s support for her immigration overhaul, the Dignidad Act, which critics say would create a two-tier society of citizens and low-wage migrant workers. Salazar announced the Vatican meeting on her X account, writing in Spanish that she had the “immense honor” of discussing immigration with the pontiff and placing the bill “in his hands.”
Salazar framed the conversation as a moral appeal, noting that “more than four out of every ten Catholics in the United States are immigrants or children of immigrants,” and arguing that “the families we talk about in Washington are the same families who sit next to us in the pews of our churches.” She added that the United States “can protect its borders without closing its heart.”
But there is no evidence the Pope endorses Salazar’s investor-backed bill, and his recent public statements suggest he may be skeptical of the underlying economic model. During a June 8 address to the Spanish parliament, Leo XIV said migration “gives rise to a twofold demand for social justice: to offer safe and legal pathways, a respectful welcome and real opportunities for integration; and, at the same time, to promote the right to remain in one’s own land.”
The Pope also urged governments to welcome migrants while ensuring “that no one has to leave their home due to a lack of peace, security or decent living conditions, including economic inequalities,” though he did not explain how those two goals might be reconciled. Salazar’s bill, by contrast, is heavily focused on expanding the supply of low-cost labor for U.S. employers, according to the legislation’s critics.
What the Dignidad Act Would Do
The Dignidad Act would grant a subsidiary legal status to millions of undocumented immigrants, creating a new class of workers with fewer rights than citizens. Supporters say the bill addresses labor shortages and lowers consumer prices. Salazar has emphasized the breadth of industries that would benefit, telling a Capitol Hill press conference in April that “it’s not just big business … it’s agricultural, construction, hospitality [sectors].”
She cited 150,000 open agricultural jobs and noted that the National Association of Manufacturers publicly backed the bill. “Americans want affordability, and they want affordable vegetables and fruits,” Salazar said.
But economists and immigration critics argue the bill’s real purpose is to suppress wage growth and provide cheap labor for investors. The subsidiary status would maximize the number of low-paid workers, and the bill opens new pipelines of migrant labor, undercutting American workers’ bargaining power, according to the source report.
Cheap Labor vs. Innovation
One overlooked consequence of the Dignidad Act, critics say, is that it would discourage investment in labor-saving technology. Fruit-picking robots are already in development, but farmers may stick with cheap migrant labor if the bill becomes law. Similarly, laser-equipped weed-killing robots are being leased by some companies, but their adoption could be delayed if the cost of human labor falls.
The extraction model also has global implications. By importing workers from poor countries instead of investing in those countries, the United States risks leaving large economies in Asia and Africa open to Chinese exports and investors, while encouraging further mass migration into Europe and the U.S., according to the report.
Salazar, for her part, remains undeterred. “From Miami, to Congress, to the Vatican, and I will continue knocking on every door until our country finally finds a migration solution,” she wrote after the meeting. Whether the Pope will answer that knock with support for her bill is another question entirely.
Source: www.breitbart.com — https://www.breitbart.com/economy/2026/08/13/rep-maria-salazar-lobbies-pope-leo-for-second-class-cheap-labor/