A House Republican introduced legislation Wednesday that would permanently codify President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement agenda, ending the diversity visa lottery, overhauling the employment-based green card system, and replacing both with a strict merit-based points framework.
Rep. Barry Moore (R-AL) filed the 70-page Americans First Immigration Act, which amends key provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act. The bill comes as Trump’s administrative actions on immigration face ongoing legal challenges, and Moore says legislation is the only way to make the changes stick.
“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 obtained by Fox News. “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.”
The diversity visa lottery, created in 1990, distributes up to 55,000 green cards annually through a random drawing open to nationals of countries with historically low immigration rates to the United States. Trump paused the program in December 2025 following two shootings at college campuses. Moore’s bill would eliminate it entirely.
Under Moore’s proposed merit-based points system, applicants for employment-based visas would be ranked on factors including English proficiency, education level, compensation relative to the median wage of their destination state, military service, and age. All applicants would be required to earn a salary at least 200 percent above the state median wage where they plan to reside, and must meet English language requirements.
The bill also eliminates most family-based sponsorship categories, narrowing the definition of who can sponsor a relative for a green card.
One provision preserved in Moore’s bill: the 3,000 annual visas allocated for religious workers. That category, which allows clergy and religious organization employees to receive green cards, would continue under the new framework.
The legislation would also require employers sponsoring foreign workers to demonstrate they made genuine efforts to recruit American workers for the position first, and that they offered equivalent compensation.
Trump has moved aggressively on immigration through executive action since taking office. In addition to pausing the green card lottery, Trump signed an executive order in September 2025 restricting H1B1 visas. He has also issued executive orders seeking to end birthright citizenship, though that effort has been challenged in federal court.
