Fitzpatrick, Houlahan, Kelly, Smucker back bipartisan immigration reform bill

By John Cole
The Center Square

A bipartisan group of Pennsylvania lawmakers has signed on to an immigration reform proposal that is dividing House Republicans.

U.S. Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-1st District; Chrissy Houlahan, D-6th District; Mike Kelly, R-16th District; and Lloyd Smucker, R-11th District, have signed on as co-sponsors of the DIGNIDAD (Dignity) Act of 2025.

“America is a nation of laws and a nation of immigrants—not one or the other, but both. That principle has guided our work on immigration reform, and it is the standard any serious solution must meet,” Fitzpatrick said. “For too long, Washington has turned a broken system into a political weapon.”

“The Dignity Act offers a responsible bipartisan path forward: securing the border, restoring order, protecting American workers, and ensuring legal status is earned through accountability and respect for the law,” he continued. “This is not amnesty; it is common sense, compassion, and the rule of law working together. The American people know this problem can be solved. Now it is time for Congress to finally get it done.”

Fitzpatrick and Kelly are original cosponsors of the proposal in July, while Smucker signed onto the effort in November, and Houlahan added her name in January. The proposal, as of Tuesday, has 39 co-sponsors. Twenty of them are Democrats, while 19 are Republicans.

Punchbowl News reported on Tuesday that the bipartisan U.S. House Problem Solvers Caucus has also endorsed this proposal.

They argue that the bill has five key components, which include “permanently securing the border; modernizing our outdated asylum system; providing legal pathways for undocumented immigrants living in America; protecting American workers; and ensuring the United States remains prosperous and competitive in the future.”

“Together, these policies provide a practical, bipartisan path toward a more secure, orderly, and fair immigration system,” the Problem Solvers Caucus wrote. “Crucially, the legislation would not require any taxpayer funding and would reduce the national debt by up to $50 billion.”

In addition to Fitzpatrick, U.S. Reps. Rob Bresnahan, R-8th District; Ryan Mackenzie, R-7th District; and Dan Meuser, R-9th District, are also members of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus.

Despite being members of the caucus, Bresnahan, Mackenzie, and Meuser are not listed as co-sponsors of the Dignity Act. No one from the lawmakers’ offices responded to a request from the Center Square for comment on whether they support the proposal.

Punchbowl News reported that this effort is the first time the Problem Solves Caucus has backed the bill under President Donald Trump. At the same time, the news outlet noted that “House GOP hardliners have been railing against the Dignity Act,” including the conservative House Freedom Caucus, which has “bashed it and said the proposal “must die in the cradle” and “undermines the agenda the American people want.”

At least one member of the state’s congressional delegation has also been a vocal critic of the bipartisan proposal: U.S. Rep. Scott Perry, R-10th District.

“NO to Amnesty. NO to the Dignity (Dignidad) Act. No one who enters our Nation illegally should be rewarded with the same legal rights and benefits due a U.S. Citizen,” Perry wrote in a social media post on April 15.

Outside of Congress, over 95 national organizations are also backing the effort, including the American Bakers Association, American Business Immigration Council (ABIC), Americans for Prosperity, the Anti-Defamation League, the Center for American Progress, the National Hispanic Construction Alliance, and U.S. Chamber of Commerce.