A Republican Just Said Something About Illegal Migrants That Left Her Own Party Stunned

Rep. Maria Salazar (R-FL) argued Monday that the United States needs illegal migrants to maintain both its economy and its military strength.

Joining Democrats to promote her “Dignidad” amnesty proposal covering at least 15 million illegal aliens, Salazar stated, “Let them stay … Let them continue contributing to the number one economy in the world, so we can continue being the number one military in the world. [If] we don’t have the economy, we don’t have the guns, and we cannot defend ourselves.”

She previously acknowledged that the legislation would supply “cheap labor” across multiple sectors. “When people tell me that I am trying to help big business to have cheap labor, I’m going to answer them: It’s not [just] big business,” she said in April, listing agriculture, construction, hospitality, health care, and manufacturing.

Salazar emphasized the demographic angle as well. “We’re talking about those millions and millions of illegals, undocumented people who belong to my community. Probably 80 percent of the undocumented belong to the Hispanics… So why don’t we give them dignity? Let them stay — those who do not have a criminal record.”

Critics note that modern national security relies more on high-tech systems than sheer manpower. Vice President JD Vance has argued the opposite approach, saying restricted immigration gives ordinary Americans more bargaining power over wages.

Salazar’s position highlights ongoing tensions inside the Republican Party over the economic role of large-scale low-wage migration.