Rep. María Elvira Salazar, a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Florida’s 27th district, addressed issues related to immigration policy and enforcement in a series of tweets on April 9, 2026.
In her first post, Rep. Salazar criticized the current E-Verify system, stating: “Yes, current E-verify IS a a joke because: It’s NOT mandatory at federal level. It’s NOT implemented nationwide. It CAN be gamed with fake documents, and there are dozens of loopholes for contractors, etc. That’s exactly why we need to ADDRESS it. The Digntiy Act includes https://t.co/1RXW4DJLDC” (April 9, 2026).
She followed up with commentary on the 1986 Reagan immigration bill: “A lot of people are asking: what about the 1986 Reagan immigration bill? Let’s be clear. It was a failure of EPIC proportions. That’s exactly why we have so many illegal immigrants today.” (April 9, 2026).
Continuing her thread on immigration reform history, Rep. Salazar added: “It was sold as a “deal” to give TRUE Amnesty (citizenship with zero strings attached) to 3 million in exchange for enforcement measures to prevent future illegal immigration. We all know WHAT happened but WHY? The enforcement language wasn’t real. It was lip service.” (April 9, 2026).
The E-Verify program is an online system that allows employers to confirm the eligibility of their employees to work in the United States by comparing information from an employee’s Form I-9 with government records. However, participation is not required nationwide or at the federal level except for certain federal contractors and subcontractors.
The Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 was signed into law by President Ronald Reagan and granted legal status to approximately three million undocumented immigrants while promising stricter border security and workplace enforcement measures.
Rep. Salazar has introduced or supported legislation such as the Dignity Act aimed at addressing shortcomings she identifies in both historic and current immigration policy frameworks.