GOP Rep Moves to END Chain Migration, Targeting 1965 Immigration Law in Major America First Push
Big League Politics | March 18, 2026A major shakeup of America’s immigration system is now on the table, as Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN) rolls out legislation aimed at dismantling decades of globalist policy and restoring what he says should be a strictly “America First” standard.
The proposal would represent one of the most sweeping immigration overhauls in modern U.S. history—targeting not just illegal immigration, but the very structure of the legal system itself.
At the heart of the bill is a clear directive: immigration policy must serve the national interest—not foreign interests, not activist agendas, and not bureaucratic inertia.
“All immigration to the United States shall serve the economic, cultural, and security interests of the United States as determined by Congress,” the legislative text states.
Ogles’ plan takes direct aim at chain migration, a system that has allowed extended family members of migrants to enter the country for decades. Under the proposal, family-based pathways would be dramatically curtailed and replaced with a merit-based system prioritizing skills, economic contribution, and national security considerations.
The legislation would also eliminate the diversity visa lottery, which currently hands out roughly 55,000 green cards annually to applicants from countries with historically low immigration rates to the U.S.—a program long criticized by conservatives as arbitrary and vulnerable to abuse.
In addition, the bill introduces significantly tougher screening standards for applicants seeking entry into the United States.
Under the proposal, individuals could be denied entry for a wide range of red flags—including suspected gang affiliations, prior arrests for offenses such as domestic violence or DUI, abuse of public benefits, visa overstays, or failure to meet tax obligations.
Even without a criminal conviction, such factors could disqualify applicants under an expanded definition of “good moral character.”
The plan also calls for enhanced vetting procedures, including deep background checks, social media screening, and mandatory in-person interviews.
Wait a sec. We’ve been at this for 250 years, and still don’t have mandatory in-person interviews? Bureaucracies suck at their jobs.
While immigration debates have long centered on border security and illegal crossings, Ogles’ proposal signals a growing shift on the right: a willingness to fundamentally rethink legal immigration itself.
At its core, the legislation seeks to roll back key elements of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965—better known as the Hart-Celler Act—a law widely credited with transforming the demographic makeup of the United States.
That legislation abolished the national-origins quota system and replaced it with a framework prioritizing family reunification and broader global migration flows.
Ogles has been blunt in his criticism of that shift.
“The Hart-Celler Act scrapped the highly effective national-origins quota system and replaced it with an immigration regime built to favor third-world migration,” he said.
If passed, the bill would mark a historic pivot away from the policies that have governed U.S. immigration for more than half a century—and could ignite a fierce national debate over who America’s immigration system is truly designed to serve.
That’s it, in a nutshell: who? The country, or the people trying to get into it?
