A Republican lawmaker from Florida has floated the idea of introducing a bill that would temporarily stop immigration into the United States. The move, often called an immigration moratorium, would pause new entries while the government reviews the system.

Representative Anna Paulina Luna made the announcement on social media this week. She said the immigration system is “incredibly broken” and claimed that many people have taken advantage of it. According to her, the pause is needed to clean up a deeply flawed system.

Luna said she will introduce the bill once Congress returns to Washington and the House floor reopens. For now, she has not shared details about how long the pause would last or who exactly would be affected.

ALSO READ

What an Immigration Moratorium means

“Our immigration system is incredibly broken, and, as you were seeing, there are many people who have come to this country and seriously abused it,” Florida Representative Anna Paulina Luna wrote on X.  She added, “The entire system needs an overhaul. I will be introducing an immigration moratorium as soon as we get back to Washington and the floor reopens. This is a necessary move in order to flush the system.”

An immigration moratorium usually means the government stops processing new visas, green cards, and other legal entry requests. The idea behind such a pause is to give authorities time to review loopholes, fix issues from within, and tighten enforcement.

Luna is not the first Republican to call for such a pause. In November, Texas Representative Chip Roy introduced the PAUSE Act, which would stop nearly all immigration to the US, giving access to only temporary tourist visas. Roy’s proposal would place an open-ended freeze on most visas and status changes until major immigration laws are rewritten. Roy has argued that the problem goes beyond illegal immigration. He said legal ways have also overwhelmed the system, accusing past administrations of approving millions without proper checks.

ALSO READ

Steve Bannon calls for a decade-long freeze

Former Trump advisor Steve Bannon has gone even further. He has called for a complete halt to all immigration for ten years. Speaking on his War Room podcast, Bannon said the pause should include all visa programs, not just H-1B visas. “We’re calling for a 10 year moratorium. No immigration. Refugee, amnesty and asylum programs are completely corrupt and now it’s in your face. This isn’t just about ending H1Bs. It’s a full moratorium across the board. No immigration for a decade until this mess is fixed,” he said.

In earlier podcasts, he described H-1B workers as “indentured servants” and said foreign graduates should be required to leave the US shortly after finishing their studies.

According to the Pew Research Center, the number of undocumented immigrants in the US reached a record 14 million in 2023. By January 2025, a record 53.3 million immigrants were living in the US. By June, however, that number dropped to 51.9 million as deportations and departures outpaced new arrivals.

Immigration under Trump’s second term

President Donald Trump has made tightening immigration a major focus of his second administration. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the US Border Patrol have stepped up arrests and deportations, targeting both undocumented immigrants and people whose legal status has expired.

Legal immigration has also become harder. Visa rules have tightened, asylum standards have changed, and several immigration programs have been suspended. Earlier this month, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced that the diversity visa lottery program would be suspended. The decision came after a mass shooting at Brown University that authorities say involved an immigrant who entered the US through the program.