Conservative Super PAC Targets GOP Lawmakers Over Immigration Reform Bill
A new conservative super PAC is threatening to target Republican members of Congress who support a bipartisan immigration reform bill that would allow for some legal protections for undocumented immigrants, according to a new report.
The Homeland Political Action Committee, founded by conservative activist Ryan Girdusky, is aiming at House Republicans backing the DIGNIDAD Act, a bill led by Rep. María Elvira Salazar of Florida and Rep. Veronica Escobar of Texas. The legislation seeks to pair tougher border-security funding with limited legal protections for undocumented immigrants who meet certain requirements.
Girdusky told Reuters the effort is not designed to “burn the party down,” but to challenge Republicans in safe GOP seats who support what he calls “pro-amnesty” legislation. The PAC has identified Salazar and other Republican backers, including Reps. Lloyd Smucker of Pennsylvania, Marlin Stutzman and Jim Baird of Indiana, as potential targets.
The DIGNIDAD Act would allow certain undocumented immigrants without criminal records to remain in the United States, work legally, and pay annual fines. It does not provide a pathway to citizenship. The proposal also includes billions of dollars for border security technology and enforcement.
Salazar, whose Miami-area district includes a large Latino electorate, has argued that the GOP risks alienating Hispanic voters if it appears hostile to immigrants broadly. “There is a very important coalition of Hispanics, the largest and fastest growing minority in the country,” Salazar told Reuters. “These people feel targeted, and they feel that they are not welcome in the Republican Party, and that concerns me.”
The development comes as Republicans try to protect their House majority in November in the midst of controversy over President Donald Trump‘s immigration crackdown. A Reuters/Ipsos poll released this week found that 52% of Americans said they would be less likely to support a candidate who backs Trump’s deportation approach. The same poll found broad support for giving legal status to undocumented immigrants who are working and have no criminal record.
Trump improved his standing with Latinos in 2024, winning an estimated 48% of the Latino vote, according to Pew Research Center data. But Latino voters have also continued to rank the economy and cost of living as top concerns.
The Homeland PAC effort also lands as congressional Republicans move separately to fund immigration enforcement. Senate Republicans voted Thursday to advance a $70 billion plan for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol over three years, using a budget procedure that avoids the need for Democratic support.
