Andy Ogles targets ‘chain migration’ in massive legal immigration overhaul
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FIRST ON FOX: A member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus is proposing legislation that would usher in the most significant legal immigration overhaul the United States has seen in decades.
Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., is spearheading a new bill that would shift the American immigration system away from a family-based focus, largely end chain migration and prioritize immigrants who serve the U.S. “national interest.”
In the draft version of the law text obtained by Fox News Digital, it was stated that “All immigration to the United States will serve the economic, cultural and security interests of the United States, as determined by Congress.”
It would also eliminate the diversity visa lottery, a quota that allows 55,000 immigrant visas annually for people from countries with low immigration rates to the United States.
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Representative Andy Ogles walks through the U.S. Capitol on February 3, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Heather Diehl/Getty Images)
People who want to immigrate to the US will also need to qualify under an expanded set of “good moral character requirements.” Immigrants who are accused of gang membership and have prior arrests for domestic violence or drunk driving may be at risk of ineligibility – even if they have no convictions.
Other circumstances that may preclude compliance under this standard include misuse of public benefits, immigration violations such as visa overstays, and tax negligence.
Mandatory vetting to verify “good moral character” would include “enhanced background checks, including social media review and in-person interviews.”
U.S. citizenship candidates sit before receiving their naturalization certificates during an official ceremony on June 4, 2025 in New York City. (Robert Nickelsberg/Getty Images)
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Republicans have long taken a tough stance on illegal immigration, but a growing group of conservatives also express public skepticism about the legal immigration process.
Ogles’ bill would reverse key parts of the 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act, colloquially known as the “Hart-Celler Act” because of its two main supporters in Congress.
The U.S. Capitol building is seen at sunset on January 30, 2025. (Emma Woodhead/Fox News Digital)
The landmark bill reversed long-standing immigration quotas that overwhelmingly favored people from Northern and Western Europe, opening up more migration routes for people from places like Asia, Latin America, Africa, as well as Eastern Europe.
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He established a system that supports family reunification, refugees, and people with certain skills deemed beneficial to the U.S. economy.
Ogles had previously called for the repeal of Hart-Celler, writing in December 2025 in
