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Noman Sabit: A Republican lawmaker has introduced legislation that would bar immigrants from six countries, reviving and expanding measures imposed during President Donald Trump’s first term in office. The proposal builds on Trump’s 2017 travel restrictions, which limited entry from several majority‑Muslim countries and were later upheld by the Supreme Court.
Its main sponsor frames the new bill as a continuation of that approach, citing security and vetting concerns. Representative Andy Ogles, a Republican from Tennessee, has introduced legislation that would block entry into the United States for immigrants from six countries, four of them with Muslim-majority populations: Iran, Libya, North Korea, Syria, Venezuela and Yemen.
According to Ogles’ office, the measure is designed to prevent admission from places where U.S. authorities cannot reliably verify an applicant’s identity, background or intentions. The bill, introduced to Congress on March 17, seeks to amend the Immigration and Nationality Act and is formally titled the Halt Immigration from Countries with Inadequate Verification Capabilities Act.
It builds on the framework of restrictions from Trump’s first term, including Presidential Proclamation 9645, which the Supreme Court upheld in 2018.
The bill was referred to the House Judiciary Committee, placing it at an early stage of the legislative process. No votes have yet been taken.
Under the proposal, the ban would not only apply to nationals of the six named countries but also to individuals who had lived in those countries within the five years before seeking entry to the U.S.
An exception would be made for U.S. citizens, according to summaries of the legislation.
Ogles has argued that the countries listed either lack functioning governments or present conditions that make effective vetting impossible. In a press release tied to a Fox News interview, he described the measure as a national security response rather than a temporary or symbolic move.
The proposal follows a shooting in Austin, Texas, that left at least three people dead and more than a dozen others injured.
The suspect, identified as Ndiaga Diagne, was a 53‑year‑old naturalized U.S. citizen originally from Senegal who lived in Pflugerville, Texas, according to multiple federal law enforcement sources cited by Fox News.
The shooting occurred a day after the United States and Israel carried out strikes targeting Iran’s military leadership as part of efforts to prevent Tehran from developing a nuclear weapon.
Investigators said they are considering recent events as part of their review of the Austin shooting. They have not definitively determined the motive behind the attack, but police said Diagne was wearing a hoodie marked “property of Allah.” Authorities also reportedly found an Iranian flag and photos of Islamic leaders at his residence. “We’re looking at the totality of this,” Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis said during a press briefing. “We’re seeing these indicators and considering what’s happening in the country as well. Motive and context are central to the investigation right now.”
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