White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks to reporters – July 21, 2025
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on Monday responded to a bipartisan amnesty bill, introduced last week in the House of Representatives, saying “the President does not support amnesty for illegal alien criminals,” but she declined to further explain his past comments on a “work program” for illegal aliens.
As The Gateway Pundit reported, Rep. Maria Salazar’s (R-FL) Dignity Act, sponsored by ten Republicans and ten Democrats, would grant amnesty to millions of illegal aliens who are currently living and working in the United States.
The bill would give a seven-year legal status, which can be renewed, to illegal aliens and “legal status and a path to permanent residency” to so-called “dreamers.”
It would even give protections and a pathway to citizenship for criminals like El Salvadoran MS-13 gang member Kimar Garcia Abrego, who the Trump Administration is still trying to deport after a judge ordered his return from an El Salvadoran prison.
The President has said that he does not support amnesty, but that his administration is doing a “work program” for illegal farm and hospitality workers. Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-Deremer, who previously co-sponsored the Dignity Act in 2023, has said the Trump Administration’s work program will include “streamlining” the work visa process for illegals currently in the country.
It appears, based on public statements and Chavez-Deremer’s past support for this measure, that the President is being pressured by some to support this bill.
This comes after Charlie Kirk claimed on his show that the President was being pressured by “high-level people” to sign a bipartisan mass amnesty deal to grant amnesty for 25 million+ people who are in our country illegally. Maria Salazar, the bill’s sponsor, stated that “over 10 million” illegal aliens will receive legal status under her bill.
Leavitt told reporters on Monday that Salazar’s bill is currently not on the White House’s radar, but the President does not support amnesty, and she will have more information to share in the future.
“The tragic circumstance that took place in New York City this past weekend underscores the priority of this President to secure our homeland and to deport illegal alien criminals and public safety threats from our country and our community,” Leavitt said.
The Gateway Pundit reported on the assault of an off-duty Border Patrol officer in New York City, where two illegal aliens attempted to rob the officer and one shot him in the face on Saturday.
This is even more reason why President Trump should oppose any form of amnesty or work visa allowances for those in our country illegally.
As Leavitt told reporters in her first press briefing on January 28, “if you are an individual, a foreign national, who illegally enters the United States of America, you are, by definition, a criminal.” If the Trump administration is focused on deporting “illegal alien criminals,” that should go for the farm and hospitality workers too.
Leavitt declined to say what the President wants to see in a “work program” but reiterated his opposition to amnesty for “illegal alien criminals.” She did not answer a shouted follow-up question.
WATCH:
Conradson: Has the White House taken a position on Maria Salazar’s work visa bill and, ideally, what does the President want to see with a work program for aliens?
Leavitt: I know you asked me about that last week, and I regret to inform you, my answer remains the same. I don’t think that’s the focus of the White House right now in terms of legislative priorities, but, certainly, I promise you we will get a readout on the bill. But as I reiterated to you before, the President does not support amnesty for illegal alien criminals. And I think the tragic circumstance that took place in New York City this past weekend underscores the priority of this President to secure our homeland and to deport illegal alien criminals and public safety threats from our country and our community. That’s this president’s President’s priority.
Leavitt responded to the legislation last week, telling reporters that the President had not seen the legislation and that he “will not support amnesty for illegal aliens in any way.” However, she declined to define the conditions of a “work program” versus amnesty.
(VIDEO) White House Press Sec Karoline Leavitt Responds to Amnesty Push by Salazar, Says Trump “Will not Support Amnesty” but Doesn’t Say What Trump Wants to See in “Work Program”
The post (VIDEO) Karoline Leavitt Says Maria Salazar’s Mass Amnesty Bill is Not “The Focus of the White House Right Now” – Again Does Not Say What President Trump Wants to See in a “Work Program” for Alien Workers appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.