More than a dozen Republican lawmakers have aligned behind a bill from Rep. Chip Roy of Texas that would pause immigration until a set of conditions—focused on immigrant access to benefits and the structure of various immigration pathways—are addressed.
As of now, eight Republicans are listed as co-sponsors. Seven signed on when the bill was introduced in November, and one additional lawmaker joined in December after the measure was sent to the House Judiciary Committee.
Why It Matters
Immigration remains one of the Republican Party’s central policy fights, with lawmakers arguing it connects to a wide range of national challenges. Even so, Republicans continue to disagree internally on what the “right” solution looks like—and how far Congress should go.
One flashpoint in the debate is the H-1B visa program, which allows companies to temporarily hire foreign workers in specialty occupations. The program is heavily used in the U.S. tech sector. About 400,000 H-1B visas were approved, including renewals and new hires.
Roy introduced his bill in November, around the same time Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene proposed separate legislation aimed at phasing out the H-1B visa program.
What To Know
Roy defended the bill Friday in a video interview with Fox News host Will Cain, arguing that immigration concerns extend beyond border crossings and into legal systems he says are being misused.
“The truth is, when you’ve got the situation we have with wide open borders under Biden and Mayorkas—or, importantly, through the legal channels with the abuse of H-1B visas, the abuse of diversity visas, the abuse of chain migration—when you have people that are being put on welfare,” Roy said, adding, “they denied it for a long time because it does not sell very well. But they’re basically acknowledging it.”
Roy also pointed to U.S. immigration restrictions from the early 20th century as a historical example. However, the idea that the United States “froze” immigration in 1920 appears overstated. The Emergency Quota Act of 1921 imposed strict limits through national-origin quotas that favored immigrants from northern and western Europe. That framework was expanded and made more restrictive by the Immigration Act of 1924 (the Johnson-Reed Act), which lowered the quota cap further—down to two percent of a nationality’s foreign-born population using the 1890 census—and barred immigration from Asia entirely.
Bill Details and Co-Sponsors
The proposal—H.R. 6225, the PAUSE Act of 2025—currently lists nine signatories, including the sponsor and co-sponsors:
- Chip Roy (Texas)
- Andy Biggs (Arizona)
- Keith Self (Texas)
- Andrew Ogles (Tennessee)
- Lauren Boebert (Colorado)
- Brandon Gill (Texas)
- Randy Fine (Florida)
- Elijah Crane (Arizona)
- Byron Donalds (Florida)
Donalds was the most recent co-sponsor, joining on December 1—about two weeks after the initial group signed on.
Outside Support
Three organizations are listed as supporting the bill:
- Immigration Accountability Project (IAP)
- Citizens for Renewing America
- National Immigration Center for Enforcement
