Sponsors (5)
The bill strengthens national security and creates clearer agency processes by enabling country‑based designations and enhanced vetting, at the cost of broad, country‑level restrictions that risk substantial civil‑liberties impacts, administrative burdens, diplomatic/economic harms, and litigation.
All Americans (taxpayers and the general public) face lower risk from admitted foreign nationals because the bill enables designation of countries with weak identity verification and mandates enhanced vetting/blocking of higher‑risk nationals, including measures to deter repeat unlawful entry.
Federal agencies and Congress gain clearer legal authority, interagency consultation processes, deadlines, and reporting requirements, improving coordination, predictable timelines, and legislative oversight of country‑designation and screening decisions.
Certain individuals with clear U.S. benefit or humanitarian need (students, some refugees/asylees, treaty‑obligated cases) can still be admitted via case‑by‑case national‑interest admissions and waiver authority, preserving targeted flexibility.
Immigrants, asylum‑seekers, and families from designated countries will face broad country‑based bans, near‑categorical exclusion rules, expanded vetting, longer delays, higher denial rates and long reentry bars, increasing family separation and reducing access to protection.
The bill significantly expands executive discretion to designate countries and set admission rules, raising risks of politicized or inconsistent decisions, reduced individualized consideration, and substantial litigation over scope and fairness.
Implementing enhanced designation lists, vetting procedures, reporting, and deadlines will increase administrative workload and costs for State and DHS, potentially diverting staff and resources from consular services, refugee resettlement, and other processing priorities.
Based on analysis of 9 sections of legislative text.
Prohibits admission to the United States of foreigners who are nationals of, or who have lived in, countries the Secretary of State designates as lacking reliable identity-verification and information-sharing capabilities, subject to listed exceptions and a discretionary humanitarian/international-obligation waiver. The legislation requires the State Department to publish and annually review the list of designated countries, directs DHS to implement enhanced vetting for eligible exceptions, and makes violations subject to removal proceedings and a 10-year reentry bar.
Introduced March 17, 2026 by Andy Ogles · Last progress March 17, 2026