BRIGHTON, Colo. — Colorado Congressman Gabe Evans, a Republican who represents the state's 8th District, has introduced a bipartisan bill aimed at fixing the nation’s immigration system.
Denver7 has been listening to community members in Evans’ district about the issues they are most concerned about. Some people, like Maria Lopez in Brighton, said immigration was a top concern.
“It is a small town, but we do have immigrants that are here that need to be protected,” said Lopez.
Lopez said the last few months under the Trump administration have caused a lot of anxiety for people she knows.
"It's definitely been scary,” said Lopez. I didn't expect Brighton to really see much ICE-related [activity]. I heard recently there was an ICE raid in my neighborhood. So, I do feel a lot for our community and our community here in Brighton."
Evans told Denver7 he's also been listening to people across his district.
"Colorado's 8th Congressional District is 40% Hispanic, and we have lots of good, hard-working individuals in this district,” Evans said. “And so, in conversations with them, in conversations with business owners, with [agriculture] producers, with so many other folks in the district, we've heard about how the immigration system in the United States is broken."
This week, he introduced a bipartisan bill that he believes will deliver a “practical solution." Known as the Dignity Act, it would provide a pathway for undocumented immigrants to earn legal status.
- Read the legislation below
Under the bill, in order to obtain legal status, undocumented immigrants must have arrived before December 31, 2020. They must also pay $7,000 in restitution, stay out of trouble, and not receive federal benefits.
"The current bill is a pathway to legal status, so permanent resident, work visa, something like that,” Evans said. “It is not a pathway to citizenship."
Evans is receiving criticism from some on the right who call the proposal amnesty. Denver7 asked Evans why he believes his bill does not amount to amnesty.
“I don't know that there's a definition, legal definition of amnesty anywhere,” Evans said. “I think that just the general public consensus around amnesty is that it's forgiving everything and getting an immediate pathway to citizenship. And like we've talked about, that's not what this bill is."
In addition, the bill provides more funding for border infrastructure, mandates E-Verify for all employers, aims to crack down on traffickers and repeat border crossers, and provides a path for permanent residency for Dreamers.
Previous efforts to address the country’s immigration system have failed over the last few decades, causing problems to worsen.
“We all know there's been no significant immigration reform in the United States for 40 years, basically since 1986, and usually whenever this topic comes up, it's linked integrally to the border,” said Evans.
Evans said with illegal border crossings down by historic levels, it’s time to focus on reforming the immigration system.
“How do we actually make the process work for those people that want to follow our laws, want to come to the United States, work hard, be a contributing member of the American dream, and be able to give back to their chosen adopted country?” said Evans. “As my abuelo did, again, with two Purple Hearts in World War II. That was how he earned his citizenship.”
Many people who want the immigration system to be fixed, including some in Evans’ district, hope this time around the outcome will be different.
Evans is among 20 lawmakers from both parties who are sponsoring the legislation.
