Brandon Gill Wants 25-Year Somali Immigration Ban — Fair or Extreme

WASHINGTON — Rep. Brandon Gill, a Texas Republican, has introduced legislation that would impose a 25-year moratorium on most new immigration from Somalia, escalating the national debate over immigration, national security and the future of U.S. immigration policy.

The Somalia Immigration Moratorium Act (H.R. 7359) was introduced by Gill on Feb. 4, 2026, and referred to the House Judiciary Committee. The bill has not become law and has not received a House or Senate vote.

The proposal has attracted renewed attention as Gill and other Republicans push for tougher restrictions on immigration, while Democrats and immigration advocates are expected to challenge the measure as discriminatory and overly broad.

What Gill's Bill Would Do

Under H.R. 7359, the federal government would generally be prohibited from issuing visas or granting immigration status to Somali citizens and nationals for 25 years after enactment.

The legislation would amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to create a new restriction specifically covering Somali nationals.

The proposal includes several exceptions.

People who were already lawfully admitted to the United States before the law took effect, lawful permanent residents and certain diplomatic or international-organization visa holders would not be covered by the general prohibition.

The bill would also make Somali nationals ineligible for certain forms of protection from removal, including withholding of removal under the provision specified in the legislation.

That means the proposal goes beyond simply restricting new tourist or immigrant visas. It would also alter certain immigration protections available to Somali nationals.

The Bill Is Not a Law — and the 25-Year Ban Has Not Taken Effect

Despite viral posts describing the proposal as a new “ban,” the legislation remains only a bill.

Congressional records show that H.R. 7359 was introduced on Feb. 4 and referred to the House Judiciary Committee the same day. There have been no recorded House or Senate votes on the measure.

For the proposed moratorium to take effect, the legislation would have to pass both chambers of Congress and be signed into law by the president, or otherwise become law through the constitutional legislative process.

As of Sept. 12, 2026, that has not happened.

Gill Frames the Proposal as a National-Security Measure

Gill has argued that the United States has a sovereign right to determine who enters the country and that immigration policy should prioritize American citizens.

His congressional office described the legislation as an effort to establish a moratorium on immigration from Somalia, while emphasizing national sovereignty and security.

Gill has made immigration one of the central themes of his political career.

The Texas Republican has supported tougher border enforcement, mass deportations and restrictions on immigration, and has previously called for significantly limiting Muslim immigration to the United States.

His Somalia proposal therefore represents part of a broader immigration agenda rather than an isolated legislative effort.

Why Somalia Is at the Center of the Debate

The proposal comes amid a wider political fight over the Somali-American population, particularly in Minnesota.

Somali Americans have established one of the largest Somali communities outside Africa in the United States, with Minnesota becoming a major center of Somali immigration and political participation.

Republican critics have increasingly focused on immigration from Somalia while citing concerns about welfare use, fraud and national security.

Democrats and immigrant-rights advocates argue that these concerns should be addressed through individual investigations and enforcement against people who commit crimes rather than through nationality-based restrictions.

That disagreement sits at the heart of the Gill legislation.

Critics Warn Against Nationality-Based Immigration Restrictions

Opponents are likely to argue that the bill unfairly treats Somali nationals as a single category regardless of an individual's circumstances, criminal history or immigration status.

The proposed law would apply based primarily on nationality, with limited exceptions.

That distinction is important because U.S. immigration law already contains mechanisms for denying visas, removing people who violate immigration rules and excluding individuals considered security threats.

Gill's legislation would instead establish a sweeping nationality-specific moratorium.

The Proposal Has Republican Support

Gill initially introduced the bill with several Republican colleagues, including Reps. Mary Miller, Randy Fine, Andy Biggs and Clay Higgins.

Additional Republican lawmakers subsequently joined as cosponsors, including Keith Self, Clay Fuller and Barry Moore, bringing the listed number of cosponsors to seven.

The measure therefore has support within a segment of the House Republican conference, although that does not mean it has enough support to pass the full House.

The bill remains in the Judiciary Committee, with no floor vote scheduled in the congressional record reviewed for this report.

A Much Broader Immigration Battle

The controversy surrounding H.R. 7359 is part of a much larger transformation of Republican immigration policy under President Donald Trump.

Republicans have increasingly sought to move immigration restrictions from executive actions into federal statute, making them harder for future administrations to reverse.

Gill has introduced or supported several other immigration-related measures during the 119th Congress, including proposals concerning birthright citizenship, asylum and immigration enforcement.

The Somalia bill fits into that broader strategy: rather than relying solely on presidential authority, Gill wants Congress to establish a long-term statutory restriction.

What Happens Next?

For now, the legislation faces a long road through Congress.

The House Judiciary Committee would have to advance the bill before it could potentially reach the House floor. If approved by the House, it would then face the Senate, where its prospects would be uncertain.

The political significance of the proposal, however, may extend beyond its chances of becoming law.

The bill forces lawmakers to confront a fundamental question about U.S. immigration policy:

Should the federal government impose a sweeping immigration moratorium based on nationality, or should immigration restrictions remain focused on individual conduct, security assessments and broader eligibility standards?

Gill has chosen a clear answer.

His Somalia Immigration Moratorium Act would freeze most new immigration from Somalia for 25 years.

But for now, that remains a congressional proposal — not a 25-year ban already imposed on Somali immigrants.