{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://salazar.house.gov/media/press-releases/congresswoman-maria-elvira-salazar-speaks-pope-leo-xiv-vatican-about", "CONGRESSWOMAN MAR\u00cdA ELVIRA SALAZAR SPEAKS WITH POPE LEO XIV AT THE VATICAN ABOUT IMMIGRATION, PRESENTS DIGNITY ACT", "2026-08-13", "2026", "2026-08", "Republican", "House", "FL", "Maria Elvira Salazar", "S000168", "salazar.house.gov", "salazar", "https://salazar.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "VATICAN CITY \u2014 U.S. Representative Mar\u00eda Elvira Salazar (R-FL) spoke today with His Holiness Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican, where she raised the issue of immigration in the United States and personally presented the Holy Father with information about the DIGNITY Act (H.R. 4393), her bipartisan immigration reform legislation.\n\nDuring the exchange, the Congresswoman spoke about the importance of finding a lasting solution to America\u2019s immigration challenge and shared the DIGNITY Act as the work she is leading in Congress on the issue.\n\n\u201cIt was a profound honor to speak with His Holiness Pope Leo XIV about immigration at such a consequential moment for our country,\u201d said Congresswoman Salazar. \u201cFor decades, Washington has debated this issue while millions of families have continued to live with uncertainty. I was grateful for the opportunity to place the DIGNITY Act in the Holy Father\u2019s hands and to share the work we are doing to find a lasting way forward.\u201d\n\nPope Leo XIV, the first American-born Pope, has made migration an important part of his public teaching, addressing both the responsibility of nations to govern their borders and the need to respect the dignity of migrants and families.\n\nThe DIGNITY Act is the only major bipartisan immigration reform proposal currently before Congress. It combines border security, mandatory E-Verify, and accountability measures with an earned legal status for qualifying long-term immigrants who meet strict requirements.\n\nImmigration also has deep relevance for the Church in the United States. More than four in ten U.S. Catholics are immigrants or the children of immigrants, according to Pew Research Center. A 2025 report issued by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and evangelical partners found that roughly one in twelve American Christians is vulnerable to deportation or lives with someone who is.\n\nThe people at the center of America\u2019s immigration debate are also, in significant numbers, the people sitting in its pews.\n\n\u201cA nation can defend its borders without closing its heart, Congresswoman Salazar said. \u201cWe can uphold the rule of law, demand responsibility, and protect our country while recognizing the inherent dignity of every person and the reality of families who have lived, worked, worshiped, and built their lives here for years. That is the principle at the heart of the DIGNITY Act.\u201d\n\nFor the Congresswoman, the exchange also carried personal significance. As the daughter of Cuban exiles representing South Florida, immigration is both a national policy issue and part of the history of the community she serves.\n\nThe Vatican exchange brought the Congresswoman\u2019s immigration reform effort into one of the world\u2019s most consequential moral and faith-based conversations on migration, while underscoring her continued push for Congress to reach a durable solution.\n\nWatch the video from Congresswoman Salazar\u2019s visit to the Vatican in English HERE.\n\nVea el video de la visita de la congresista Salazar al Vaticano en espa\u00f1ol AQU\u00cd.\n\nGrowing Support for the DIGNITY Act\n\nThe DIGNITY Act (H.R. 4393) has continued to gain momentum in Congress and across the country, with support from 40 Members of Congress and more than 100 organizations and stakeholders representing business, agriculture, faith communities, veterans, employers, families, and immigration advocates.\n\nRecent support includes the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus, National Association of Manufacturers, National Restaurant Association, and leading scientific and research organizations, adding to a broad coalition backing congressional action on immigration reform.\n\nThe effort has also expanded beyond Capitol Hill through the National DIGNITY Coalition, nationwide events, policy forums, roundtables, and direct engagement with workers, employers, faith leaders, Dreamers, mixed-status families, and community organizations.\n\nThe DIGNITY Act has generated more than 250 national, state, and local media stories and mentions, as the proposal continues to gain visibility in the national immigration debate.\n\nWith its congressional coalition and national support continuing to grow, the effort is increasingly focused on translating that momentum into legislative action.\n\nCongresswoman Mar\u00eda Elvira Salazar represents Florida\u2019s 27th Congressional District and serves as Chairwoman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere.", 1, "2026-08-14T06:13:05Z", "2026-08-14T06:14:08Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://salazar.house.gov/media/press-releases/congresswoman-maria-elvira-salazar-speaks-pope-leo-xiv-vatican-about"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8849548175930977, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}