Common Sense Over Chaos: Immigration, the Dignity Act, and Why We Need Real Solutions

It has been a busy few weeks, and there is no shortage of headlines demanding attention. From the Houston City Council’s controversial immigration ordinance to the Dignity Act making waves in Congress, birthright citizenship landing before the Supreme Court, and the situation with Iran — there is a lot to unpack. So let’s get into it.

Houston City Council Gets It Wrong on Immigration

This week, the Houston City Council voted to approve what they are calling Proposition A — an ordinance that essentially directs the Houston Police Department to limit its cooperation with ICE. Several of the more progressive members of the council pushed it through, and only five had the courage to vote against it.

I went down to City Hall to speak on this issue personally, and what I witnessed was telling. There was a long line of organized left-wing groups, each taking their turn at the microphone to explain why the ordinance was necessary. The common refrain was that the Hispanic community is afraid — afraid to call the police, afraid to go to the hospital, afraid to go to the gas station or the grocery store.

Here is where my perspective as a naturalized American citizen comes in. I have had to show my naturalization papers and my passport to do the most basic things for as long as I have lived in this country. I do not think twice about it, because that is the reality of being foreign-born and legal. I have never been afraid to go to the doctor, the gas station, or anywhere else — because I am here legally. The people experiencing fear are experiencing it because they are not.

The Houston City Council has no business making immigration policy. Immigration is a federal matter, full stop. Instead of creating local ordinances that encourage police to circumvent federal law, the council should be advocating for legislative solutions at the national level. You do not fix a bad law by passing another law that breaks the first one. You fix the law itself.

Hats off to the five council members who voted against this — Amy Peck, Fred Flickinger, Mary Nan Huffman, Twila Carter, and Willie Davis. They voted for the Constitution and for the safety of every Houstonian. Two of them represent Kingwood, where I live, and I am especially proud of that.

I also have to call out Julian Ramirez, who was elected on more conservative principles and still voted in favor of this ordinance. He allowed himself to be swayed by arguments rooted in emotion rather than law, and in doing so, he turned his back on the people who put him in office. I hope he is primaried, and I hope he never shows his face at a Republican luncheon again without being asked to explain himself.

And to Cindy Siegel’s credit — our Harris County party chair has filed a complaint with Attorney General Ken Paxton, because this ordinance likely violates state laws already on the books prohibiting exactly this kind of behavior.

The Dignity Act: A Common-Sense Solution Nobody Wants to Talk About

This brings me to the other side of the immigration problem — the side that the pundits on both the left and the right refuse to address honestly.

Under current law, there is no path to legal status for people who are already in the country illegally. None. Most Americans do not realize this. They assume that undocumented immigrants simply choose not to pursue citizenship, but the truth is that once you are here illegally, the system offers you no way forward. That is a problem that has to be dealt with.