In the past, conservative Republicans ranging from Presidents Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush to GOP strategist Karl Rove were aggressive proponents of immigration. Reagan famously argued that Latinos were natural-born Republicans — they just didn't know it yet — and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, a fluent Spanish speaker, expressed his pro-immigration views during appearances on Univision.
But hardline views on immigration are a prime feature of President Donald Trump's MAGA movement, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids in Minneapolis, Chicago and Los Angeles have been a source of heated debates during his second presidency.
In an article published on April 21, Politico's Samuel Benson details GOP infighting surrounding the Dignity Act — an immigration reform bill that conservative Rep. María Elvira Salazar originally introduced in 2023 and reintroduced in 2025. The bill has bipartisan support, while MAGA's immigration hardliners are adamantly opposed to it—including Rep. Brandon Gill (R-Texas) and "War Room" host Steve Bannon.
"The GOP's escalating infighting over immigration now has a pair of PACs lining up millions of dollars on opposing sides of Republican primaries across the country," Benson reports. "The dueling pledges turn a congressional fight over Rep. María Elvira Salazar's (R-Fla.) Dignity Act into an electoral proxy war between hardliners and moderates over how far the Republican Party should go on immigration reform. It's putting the bill's 20 House GOP co-sponsors in the spotlight."
The Politico reporter continues, "The Homeland PAC, backed by immigration-restrictionist Republicans, launched last week in an effort to primary some of those co-sponsors. Meanwhile, American Business Immigration Coalition Action, a pro-immigration group, secured $1.2 million to protect them through its Building America's Economy PAC and hopes to raise $5 million in total, according to plans first shared with Politico."
Benson notes that the Dignity Act is facing "an onslaught of criticism from conservative MAGA influencers and allies of President Donald Trump."
"While the bill doesn't create pathways to citizenship, it would allow millions of unauthorized immigrants to eventually gain work permits and remain in the U.S. legally," Benson explains. "Republicans like battleground Reps. Gabe Evans (Colo.) and Brian Fitzpatrick (Pa.) have signed onto the bill. But critics pan it as 'amnesty' and signal that the future of the Republican Party hinges on this debate."
GOP strategist and Homeland PAC organizer Ryan Girdusky argues that Trump shouldn't be the last word on whether the Dignity Act passes or not.
Girdusky told Politico, "Donald Trump is not going to be around forever. The goal is to focus and to put our efforts into the future, and make sure Republicans know that the demand for stronger borders and for reforms to legal immigration and illegal immigration means something. We are not going to roll over and go back to business as usual."
Rebbeca Shi, CEO of ABIC Action — a PAC defending supporters of the Dignity Act — told Politico, "Extreme-right internet influencers have escalated their attacks, and we want to ensure the leadership on common-sense immigration reform are protected."