Immigrants Approaching Statue of Liberty, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
In 1965, Congress passed the Immigration and Nationality Act, better known as Hart-Celler. Its sponsors promised there would be no fundamental changes to American immigration, but they were spectacularly wrong. What the law created was a self-perpetuating cycle. One immigrant sponsors a spouse, the spouse sponsors siblings, the siblings sponsor their spouses and parents, and so on. Washington called it family reunification, but most Americans know it as chain migration. A single visa multiplies into dozens over time, with few ever stopping to ask whether any of it actually serves the country doing the welcoming.
Representative Andy Ogles of Tennessee argues that Congress effectively declared war on America when it passed Hart-Celler. The law didn't just change who could come here; it fundamentally undermined American culture, religious values, and economic vitality. And for six decades, Congress has done effectively nothing while watching the consequences pile up. Until the Trump Administration, the last meaningful immigration reform was in 1986 under Reagan. Nearly every attempt since has collapsed under partisan gridlock.
Congressman Ogles is proposing to do what few have had the nerve to try. His bill, formally titled the Assimilation Act, would end chain migration, eliminate the diversity visa lottery, crack down on H-1B visa abuses, and reverse the core framework of Hart-Celler itself. All immigration to the United States, the bill states, shall serve the economic, cultural, and security interests of the United States as determined by Congress. That's not radical, that’s just common sense.
The bill would also expand vetting requirements. Gang affiliations, DUI arrests, visa overstays, and even tax delinquency could disqualify applicants. Mandatory social media reviews and in-person interviews would be required. Most Americans assume that kind of gatekeeping is already happening, but it’s not.
We need to be honest about what's driving the opposition to this reform. As everyday Americans flee Democrat-controlled states like California, Illinois, and New York, Democrats need immigrants to replenish their voting base. Mass immigration isn't a humanitarian program — it's a political strategy!
With President Trump in the White House and Republicans controlling Congress, this may be the last best window for meaningful reform to Hart-Celler. Six decades of kicking this can down the road is enough!
Stay informed with us on this bill and many others like it with our timely alerts found at PhyllisSchlafly.com. Again, that’s PhyllisSchlafly.com, and join us again for the Phyllis Schlafly Report.
