'America First' immigration overhaul bill would codify Trump's campaign promises once and for all

FIRST ON FOX: President Donald Trump's 'America First' immigration overhaul would be codified into law under a House Republican bill that would significantly narrow legal immigration pathways by shifting the system toward high-skilled workers, eliminating most family sponsorship categories and ending the diversity visa lottery.

Immigration — both illegal and legal — remains a contentious topic in Washington, with Democrats pushing to expand pathways for migrants to obtain citizenship, while Trump and his Republican allies are seeking to restrict migration, including proposals such as ending birthright citizenship.

Rep. Barry Moore, R-Ala., introduced the Americans First Immigration Act, which would amend several key provisions in the Immigration and Nationality Act, in an effort to "putting American citizens first."

"My bill draws a hard line - the days of putting illegals, random diversity lotteries and foreign labor ahead of American workers are over," Moore said in a statement to Fox News Digital. "Our immigration system should serve the American people, not undercut them, and that means selecting individuals who will strengthen our economy, respect our laws, and share our values."

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The 70-page bill seeks to codify many of the actions already taken by the Trump administration to tighten legal immigration pathways. In December 2025, President Donald Trump paused the green card lottery program in the wake of two shootings on college campuses, and last September, Trump signed an executive order placing restrictions on the issuance of H1B1 visas, a work visa offered for specialty occupations.

"If you want to come to the United States, you should earn it through merit, not diversity lotteries or loopholes. The Americans First Immigration Act restores fairness and accountability by protecting American jobs, prioritizing the nuclear family and ensuring that every immigrant admitted is prepared to contribute and succeed," Moore told Fox News Digital.

While Moore's bill seeks to end the diversity lottery visa, it includes a provision to ensure that the allotment of visas for religious workers, equal to 3,000 a year, is preserved.

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Julie Kirchner, a senior advisor at the America First Policy Institute, supports Moore's bill, particularly the measure to eliminate lottery visas.

"The Visa Lottery has a long, documented history of fraud and national security concerns and should be abolished. Under a merit-based, America First system, any immigrant would have to demonstrate their skills, ability to assimilate, and how they will contribute to the U.S.," Kirchner told Fox News Digital.

One of the other provisions in Moore's bill seeks to put "American workers first" by overhauling the current employment-based immigration visa program and replacing it with a points-based merit system. Under the new points-based system, applicants are ranked and will receive points on factors such as their level of English proficiency, education, their level of compensation, military service and age. All applicants must have a salary that is at least 200% above the median wage of the state they'll reside in, and they must meet English proficiency requirements.

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Employers must also prove that they "took good faith steps" in recruiting American workers for the job offered to the foreign worker for equal compensation. The legislation also requires employers to share with the government the name and contact information of American workers who were offered the job and their offered wage. The Department of Labor will oversee and investigate compliance.

And migrants offered a visa are required to sign a petition pledging they support the U.S. Constitution and its values. The pledge also includes a requirement to disavow political groups or social groups that partake in honor killings, female infanticide or genital mutilation.

"Ideally the government has the information in advance to bar these people from immigrating to the U.S.," Kirchner said. "However, if a newly-arrived immigrant engages in behavior that demonstrates the statements he made to our immigration agencies were false, that can become the basis for deportation or denaturalization."

The act would also curtail family-sponsored immigration to only be accessible to spouses of U.S. citizens, minor children, spouses of green card holders and children of green card holders. Parents, siblings, and adult children of U.S. citizens are barred.

"What the bill does is eliminate the ability of extended family members to get a preference under the law," Kirchner said. "Extended family members can still apply - but they would have to do so based on their own skills, merit, and ability to assimilate."