CUBA · UNITED STATES · MIGRATION
Key Facts
- —The country Cuba is a one-party communist state about 90 miles (145 km) from Key West, and Cubans have long had their own route to a green card under US law.
- —Why it matters Many Cubans who crossed the southern border were released on an I-220A order rather than paroled, which keeps them out of that route.
- —Why now Miami Republican María Elvira Salazar pitched her Dignity Act again on Thursday 15 October, weeks after breaking with President Donald Trump over deportations.
- —The bill H.R.4393 was filed on 15 July 2025 by Salazar and Texas Democrat Veronica Escobar and now has 39 cosponsors from both parties.
- —The deal Migrants present since 31 December 2020 could win renewable seven-year legal status and work permits for US$7,000 in restitution, with no federal welfare and no citizenship.
- —The Cuban clause A separate section would treat Cubans released on an I-220A on or before 31 January 2023 as paroled, opening the 1966 Cuban Adjustment Act to them.
- —Still open The bill has had no committee vote and no floor vote since it was referred on 16 July 2025, and nobody can apply for anything today.
- —Power Index Cuba ranks 14th of 14 in The Rio Times Latin America Power Index, with 22.5 points (October 2026 edition).
A bipartisan House bill known as the Dignity Act would let undocumented migrants who have lived in the United States since 2020, Cubans included, stay and work legally for renewable seven-year terms. Its Republican sponsor, María Elvira Salazar of Miami, renewed her push for it at a community event in the city on Thursday 15 October 2026, saying President Donald Trump could back an immigration overhaul before his term ends.
For Cubans the bill matters twice over: it would shield long-settled migrants from deportation, and a little-noticed clause would open the 1966 Cuban Adjustment Act to many who were released at the border on an I-220A order. None of it is law yet, since the bill, H.R.4393, has sat in committee since July 2025 without a single vote.
The Miami Cuban news site Periódico Cubano revived interest in the bill with an explainer on Sunday 18 October. It correctly noted that an I-220A alone would not qualify anyone for the bill’s main program, but the separate Cuban clause in the text offers a different route.
What the Dignity Act Would Do
The core of the bill is a Dignity Program for people who have been continually present in the United States since 31 December 2020 and who pass biometric and criminal background checks. A felony conviction, or two or more misdemeanors with some exceptions such as minor cannabis offenses, rules an applicant out.
Applicants would pay at least US$1,000 up front and more at check-ins every two years until they have paid US$7,000 in what the bill calls restitution. They must also work or study for at least four of the seven years, carry health insurance, settle federal taxes owed from the past decade and pay an extra 1% levy on wages.
Participants could not use federal means-tested benefits, such as SNAP food aid or Medicaid, and the program confers no citizenship. After seven years they could move to a renewable “Dignity Status” with a work permit and the right to travel abroad and return.
The bill also gives people brought to the country as children, including those protected by DACA, the 2012 program for so-called Dreamers, conditional permanent residence for 10 years. It pairs these steps with tougher border rules, higher pay for Border Patrol agents and a mandatory nationwide version of E-Verify, the online system employers use to check whether a new hire may legally work.
The Clause That Matters Most to Cubans
The Cuban Adjustment Act lets a Cuban who was “inspected and admitted or paroled” into the United States, and has been present for at least one year, apply for a green card. Cubans released at the border with an order of release on recognizance, known by its form number I-220A, have long complained in Miami’s Cuban press that this paperwork keeps them out of that law.
Section 1503 of the Dignity Act would treat anyone released on such an order by Immigration and Customs Enforcement on or before 31 January 2023 as paroled for the purposes of the Cuban Adjustment Act. Those Cubans could then apply for green cards under the 1966 law, which has no 2020 arrival cutoff of its own.
Cubans released on an I-220A after January 2023 gain nothing from that clause. If they arrived after 2020, they would also fall outside the Dignity Program as the bill is now written.
Who Is Pushing It, and Who Is Not
Salazar is a Republican who represents Florida’s 27th congressional district in Miami-Dade County and is seeking re-election in the 3 November midterm elections. She filed the bill on 15 July 2025 with Veronica Escobar, a Democrat who represents El Paso, Texas.
At the 15 October event, the Spanish news agency EFE quoted her calling the bill “Solomonic” because it “does not give them citizenship, but at the same time lets them stay with a ‘Dignity’ visa.” She added that “if anyone can do it, it is Trump, you know him,” and predicted an immigration reform “in the next two years, before the president leaves the White House.”
Salazar broke with Trump in a campaign ad aired in September, telling him that “some of your immigration enforcements have gone too far.” Trump replied that she was “a nice person” whom he “got elected” but that he did not share her view, and on Saturday 26 September he shared posts on his Truth Social platform that called her a “back stabber.”
Conservative Republicans in the House oppose the bill outright. Texas Representative Brandon Gill told The Daily Signal in April that it “gives mass amnesty to millions,” and Florida Representative Randy Fine said he “will not reward illegal aliens with citizenship.”
Where the Bill Stands
The House sent H.R.4393 to seven committees, led by Judiciary, and the last recorded action is a referral to the Subcommittee on Border Security and Enforcement on 16 July 2025. The congress.gov record shows no committee vote and no floor vote since then.
To become law the bill would have to pass the Republican-led House and Senate and be signed by Trump. Salazar says the subject “is being talked about,” but we found no public statement from Trump or the White House backing the bill.
What It Means for You
For Cuban families in the United States, nothing changes today, because the bill is not law and no Dignity Program application exists. Anyone charging a fee to file for “Dignity status” or a Dignity visa now is selling something that cannot be filed.
For US employers, the bill would make E-Verify checks compulsory for every hiring business on deadlines set in the text, and it would raise the fines for hiring-paperwork violations. For taxpayers, the US$7,000 restitution would go into a federal account the bill earmarks to support American workers, and the 1% wage levy into a trust fund that pays for carrying out the bill, with any remainder going to pay down the national debt.
For anyone tracking US politics, the bill tests whether Trump’s hard line on deportations leaves room for a deal on long-settled migrants. Salazar’s own race on 3 November will show whether a Miami Republican can campaign on legal status without losing Trump’s base.
What Is Not Known
We found no estimate from the sponsors or from the Department of Homeland Security of how many Cubans would qualify under either route. It is also not known how many Cubans were released on an I-220A on or before 31 January 2023, the cutoff in Section 1503.
Salazar’s account of her talks with Trump cannot be checked independently. It is also unclear whether House leaders will schedule any vote before the current Congress ends on 3 January 2027, when unpassed bills die and must be filed again.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Dignity Act?
The Dignity Act, H.R.4393, is a bipartisan House bill filed on 15 July 2025 that pairs tougher border and workplace checks with legal status for some undocumented migrants. It has had no committee or floor vote and is not law.
Would Cubans with an I-220A benefit?
Some would, under a separate clause. Section 1503 would treat Cubans released on an I-220A on or before 31 January 2023 as paroled, letting them use the Cuban Adjustment Act, while later releases are not covered.
Does the Dignity Act give citizenship?
No, its main program gives renewable seven-year legal status and work permits, not citizenship. Participants also could not use federal means-tested benefits such as SNAP or Medicaid.
How much would the Dignity Program cost a migrant?
Participants would pay US$7,000 in restitution over seven years, starting with at least US$1,000 when they apply. They would also pay a 1% levy on wages on top of normal taxes.
Can anyone apply for Dignity status now?
No, the bill is not law, so there is no application to file. Anyone charging money to file one now is not offering a real service.
Sources: Congress.gov, H.R.4393, DIGNIDAD (Dignity) Act of 2025: sponsor, 39 cosponsors, actions, US Government Publishing Office, text of H.R.4393 as introduced, 15 July 2025, 8 U.S.C. 1255 and note, Cuban Adjustment Act (Public Law 89-732), Periódico Cubano, 18 October 2026, La Tribuna (EFE), 15 October 2026, Florida Phoenix, 17 September 2026, Voz, 26 September 2026, The Daily Signal, 10 April 2026, CubaNet, 23 September 2025. All retrieved 19 October 2026.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief