‘Freeze all immigration’: US lawmaker plans bill amid Trump's shifting stance on H1B

US representative break away Roy has proclaimed plans to innovate a federal reserve note calling for a “freeze on all immigration” to the United States — a move that comes amid President Donald Trump’s tougher stance on the issue and recent H-1B visa reforms that have already unsettled Indian professionals. Indians make up nearly 70% of all H-1B holders, according to recent data.

Speaking on a show by political commentator Benny Johnson, Republic leader Roy, who represents Texas’s 21st Congressional District, said the proposed legislation would block all forms of immigration “until certain objectives are achieved".

“I’ve got a bill that I’m going to be introducing that is a freeze on all immigration. Freeze it until we achieve certain objectives – reforming chain migration, ending H-1B visas, getting birthright citizenship dealt with, and vetting people for their adherence to Sharia law,” news agency ANI quoted Roy as saying.

A loyal conservative and ally of President Trump, Roy has consistently advocated for tougher border enforcement and limits on work visa programmes like the H-1B.

The Texas Republican said his proposal aims to overhaul what he called a “broken” immigration system by tightening entry rules and national security vetting. He specifically cited concerns about “Islamism” and “Sharia law", claiming these posed threats to American society.

“We’re dealing with a massive Islamism problem,” Roy said. “We’re dealing with a massive problem of the advancement of Sharia law. We’re dealing with a mass community that is growing up and has no desire to assimilate and (to) come here, to become American and embrace Western civilisation, embrace our Constitution, and embrace our values.”

Chip Roy is currently serving his fourth term in Congress, representing a district covering parts of South Austin, North San Antonio, and the Texas Hill Country.

Roy, a former chief of staff to Senator Ted Cruz, has long positioned himself as a hardliner on immigration and national security issues. His proposed bill reflects a growing push within segments of the Republican Party to impose sweeping restrictions on immigration, citing cultural and economic concerns.

In the US, introducing a bill marks the first step in turning a proposal into law. Once formally submitted to Congress, a bill is reviewed by committees, debated, and potentially amended.

For it to become law, both the House of Representatives and the Senate must pass identical versions before sending it to the President for approval or veto.

If President Trump, who has maintained a tough stance on illegal immigration, supports Roy’s proposal, it could advance to the legislative floor.

The debate over immigration comes as Trump’s administration has already overhauled the H-1B visa process. A proclamation signed in September raised the application fee for new H-1B petitions from around USD 1,500 to USD 100,000.

The US State Department later clarified that the new fee applies only to new applications filed after September 21, with current visa holders unaffected.

The drastic increase was aimed at tightening corporate access to foreign work force. A majority of professionals using H-1B visas are from India and China.

When asked this week whether H-1B restrictions remain a top priority, President Trump said the administration still values foreign talent.

“We also do have to bring talent into the country,” Trump said. Pressed on whether the US already has enough domestic talent, he replied, “No, you don’t. No, you don’t... You don’t have certain talents and you have to... People have to learn.”

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent later added, “I think the President's vision here is to bring in overseas workers who have the skills for three, five, seven years to train the US workers. Then they can go home, and the US workers will fully take over.”

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