Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas), a candidate for Texas attorney general, reiterated his call to “pause” immigration during an appearance on Fox News Channel’s The Will Cain Show, arguing that the United States needs time to reclaim lost sovereignty and address systemic abuses in both legal and illegal immigration.
Host Will Cain asked Roy to explain why he believes a full pause on immigration is necessary. Roy responded by blaming current immigration levels on deliberate policies pursued by the political left.
Roy said the country is facing the consequences of “wide-open borders” under President Joe Biden and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, as well as what he characterized as abuse of legal immigration programs. He specifically cited H-1B visas, diversity visas, and chain migration, arguing that these mechanisms are being exploited.
He also explained that immigrants are increasingly being placed on welfare programs, despite repeated denials from Democrats. Roy referenced debates surrounding work requirements and access to Medicaid and welfare benefits during consideration of the “Big Beautiful Bill,” saying critics initially denied such benefits were being provided to illegal immigrants but are now acknowledging the issue.
For Roy, the scale of immigration justifies drastic action. He stated that there are approximately 51.5 million foreign-born individuals living in the United States—the highest share since the early 1900s. He pointed to immigration restrictions enacted in the 1920s, arguing that the pause at that time allowed the country to assimilate newcomers and reassert national sovereignty.
Roy said those earlier immigrants largely wanted to assimilate, contrasting them with many migrants arriving today. He argued that while many Hispanics from Mexico, Central America, and the Northern Triangle seek to work, assimilate, and pursue the American dream, he believes millions of others—particularly Islamists—do not want to assimilate.
He further accused corporate interests of pushing for increased immigration to exploit visa programs, saying businesses use H-1B and diversity visas to “pump this country full of people who don’t want to assimilate.”
Roy concluded by reiterating that the United States should halt immigration temporarily in order to reassess and reform the system. “We should pause,” he said, “and then we should reset all of those issues.”
Roy’s proposal is embodied in the PAUSE Act, formally introduced as H.R. 6225. The legislation would temporarily freeze family-based, employment-based, and diversity visa programs until Congress enacts reforms to end chain migration beyond immediate family members, overhaul the H-1B visa system, and restrict birthright citizenship. Roy has compared the bill to the Immigration Act of 1924, which imposed national quotas and was followed by decades of lower immigration and increased assimilation. The PAUSE Act is cosponsored by Rep. Byron Donalds and more than a dozen other Republicans and has drawn support from those who argue it would reduce welfare use and job competition. Critics, however, insist it could worsen talent shortages and lead to family separations. While the bill faces long odds in a divided Congress, it underscores broader Republican efforts to press for a sweeping reset of U.S. immigration policy.
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No pauses until the job is done!!
They can reset everything after President Trump rids our country of all of the leeches (non-citizens) using our resources. They are costing hard working Americans millions of dollars to accommodate welfare, snap and other free programs being wasted on illegal persons who have no right to any of the benefits of our country.