Join WhatsApp Channel
United States Representative Chip Roy of Texas has introduced the Pausing All Admissions Until Security Ensured Act, known as the PAUSE Act, which proposes a freeze on nearly all immigration to the United States, with the exception of temporary tourist visas.
The legislation outlines a series of conditions that must be met before immigration pathways can be reopened, with the stated goal of ensuring that the system works “on behalf of the American people.”
According to a statement from Congressman Roy’s office, America’s foreign-born population has reached 51.9 million, representing more than 15 percent of the nation’s total population. The statement notes that the United States admits more immigrants than all other countries combined, raising questions about assimilation and how such demographic trends align with the nation’s “economic, cultural, and security interests.”
Commenting on the legislation, Congressman Roy said, “The problem isn’t just illegal immigration; it’s also legal immigration. While the Biden administration opened our borders and allowed millions to flood into our country, they also rubber-stamped millions more arriving through convoluted legal schemes, completely overwhelming the system.”
He argued that young Americans are facing challenges in the job market, particularly as “a lion’s share of H-1B visas are being awarded for entry-level positions.” He also asserted that American families are dealing with rising insurance costs while “aliens are receiving taxpayer-funded healthcare.”
Roy further expressed concern that core milestones such as “marriage, parenthood, and homeownership” are becoming harder to achieve for Americans, while foreign nationals continue to bring extended family members to the United States through chain migration.
“Everyday Americans are working to advance their careers through merit, while our immigration system uses a lottery that doesn’t bring the best, but the luckiest,” his statement said. “Many Americans strive to live their life practicing their faith, while our immigration system is actively importing radical Islamic Sharia adherents and communists. The American people are done being taken advantage of by the rest of the world. Our immigration system is supposed to benefit Americans. We must put a pause on immigration until we fundamentally fix our broken system.”
Key Provisions of the PAUSE Act
- The PAUSE Act would halt most legal immigration until Congress enacts several major changes, including:
- Ending Plyler v. Doe to allow states and localities to restrict public school access to U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents.
- Revising birthright citizenship so that minors receive U.S. citizenship only if at least one parent is a citizen or green card holder.
- Ending chain migration and the Diversity Visa Program, limiting family-based immigration to spouses and unmarried minor children.
- Prohibiting the entry of individuals who adhere to Sharia law, members of the Chinese Communist Party, known or suspected terrorists, and members of Foreign Terrorist Organizations.
- Restricting noncitizen access to means-tested federal programs including SNAP, SSI, TANF, Medicaid, Medicare, WIC, federal student loans, and public housing.
- Eliminating adjustment of status for H-1B visa holders and ending the Optional Practical Training (OPT) program.
The bill’s original co-sponsors include Representatives Keith Self, Brandon Gill, Andy Biggs, Lauren Boebert, Eli Crane, and Andy Ogles.
Organizations Supporting the PAUSE Act
Several advocacy groups have expressed support for the legislation. Rosemary Jenks, co-founder of the Immigration Accountability Project, said, “U.S. immigration policy has been on auto-pilot for decades. The result has been ever-increasing legal immigration that harms American workers, promotes social and cultural division, threatens national security, and costs taxpayers billions of dollars.”
Executive Director of Citizens for Renewing America, Wade Miller, stated that the current system “has largely benefitted foreign nationals instead of taking into account the interests of Americans first and foremost.” Miller added that Rep. Roy’s legislation “aims to fix longstanding immigration issues, legal and illegal, putting Americans back in charge of who they choose to admit into the U.S.”
RJ Hauman, president of the National Immigration Center for Enforcement, described the bill as “a practical enforcement measure that pauses new admissions until security and standards are established, then resumes flows only when law and capacity can safely handle them.” Hauman said the legislation would help close “pull factors” by tightening eligibility rules, limiting the scope of family-based immigration, and barring entrants linked to extremist or hostile movements.
Hauman also urged Congress to apply similar scrutiny to nonimmigrant visa programs so they “serve American workers and security rather than undermine them.”
