Pass One Immigration Bill Now - Forget About It for Decades

Here's the reality: America doesn't deal with immigration bills often. We pass major legislation once every few decades, then let things settle. But when we do pass these bills, they're incredibly important to get right - because they shape our nation for generations.

America's Immigration Cycle

Throughout our history, America has oscillated between periods of mass immigration and periods of restriction. The data tells the story clearly:

The 1924 Immigration Act cut immigration dramatically. For the next four decades, levels stayed low, people assimilated, the middle class flourished, and the issue faded from political debate.

Then the 1965 Hart-Celler Act reopened the doors. The Immigration Act of 1990 supercharged it further—raising caps, creating the H-1B visa program, and enabling the largest wave of immigration in American history.

That was 35 years ago. The 1990 Act remains the last major immigration reform to pass Congress. Multiple attempts since then—in 2007 and 2013—have failed.

We're overdue. It's time for a new one.

The Immigration Act of 2026

Our recommendation is clear: pass the Immigration Act of 2026 - one comprehensive bill that fixes the crisis, then leave it alone for decades.

Core Provisions

Geographic Focus: Europe and South America

Immigration would be restricted to countries with cultural compatibility and manageable population sizes:

Eligible Regions: - Europe - Shared cultural heritage, democratic values, similar economic development - South America - Geographic proximity, Western hemisphere solidarity, established diaspora communities

Primary Pathways: - Family Unification - Spouses and minor children of U.S. citizens only (no extended family chains) - Exceptional Skills - Not mid-level software engineers—Nobel laureates, world-renowned researchers, individuals with skills that genuinely cannot be found among 330 million Americans

That's it. No lottery systems, no unlimited chain migration, no corporate labor arbitrage through H-1B.

What This Achieves

Housing Markets Can Recover

When you add millions of people competing for the same housing stock, prices skyrocket. Research from MIT economist Albert Saiz found that an inflow of immigrants equal to 1% of a city's population causes rents and housing values to increase by approximately 1%.

Case Study: New York City Since the 1990 Immigration Act

Since the 1990 Immigration Act took effect, New York added 1 million foreign-born residents. In that same period: - Median rent: +620% ($486 → $3,500) - Median home price: +336% ($180K → $785K) - Foreign-born share: +10 percentage points (28% → 38%)

This isn't coincidence—it's supply and demand.

The same pattern repeats in cities across America. Every wave of new arrivals competes for limited housing stock, driving prices higher and higher.

Reducing immigration allows housing supply to finally catch up with demand. Young American families could afford homes again. Workers wouldn't need to spend 40-50% of their income just to keep a roof over their heads.

Demographic Stability

Americans are tired of seeing their communities fundamentally transformed every decade. We need time to assimilate existing immigrants without constant new waves overwhelming the process.

A generation of low immigration means no more radical demographic shifts. Communities can stabilize and maintain cultural continuity. Schools aren't overwhelmed with students who don't speak English. Social services can actually serve their intended populations. America gets to be America again.

Labor Market Balance

Mass immigration benefits corporations seeking cheap labor while suppressing wages for American workers. Every million immigrants added to the labor force means a million more people competing for jobs, driving down wages and working conditions.

Reducing immigration restores bargaining power to workers and ensures jobs go to Americans first. When labor isn't artificially oversupplied, wages rise, benefits improve, and working conditions get better. That's how a healthy economy should function.

The Visa Exception

If there's someone we absolutely need - a Nobel Prize-caliber scientist, a critical defense researcher, an irreplaceable expert - we can issue a visa. But these should be rare exceptions, not the rule. We don't need 1 million legal immigrants per year just to create competition for jobs and drive housing prices through the roof.

Immigration Must Serve Americans

Immigration policy should answer one question: What is best for the Americans who are already here?

Not what's best for corporations wanting cheap labor. Not what's best for foreign nationals seeking better opportunities. Not what's best for politicians courting demographic change. What's best for American citizens, their children, their communities, and their future.

The answer is clear: dramatically lower immigration levels focused on cultural compatibility and critical skills.

Pass It, Then Forget It

The beauty of this approach is its finality. Pass the Immigration Act of 2026. Cut immigration by 50%+. End H-1B. Focus on Europe and South America. Then move on.

Why "forget about it" works:

The 1924 Act gave America four decades of stability. Immigration faded as a political issue. People assimilated. The middle class flourished. That's what happens when you get policy right and leave it alone.

Let the next generation live in stable communities with affordable housing and good jobs. Let assimilation happen naturally without being overwhelmed by constant new arrivals. Let America be America again.

Revisit it 30+ years from now if circumstances genuinely change. But until then, stop the endless debates. Pass one strong bill and stick with it.

Sources

Housing Impact Research

• IZA World of Labor: How Immigration Affects Housing Costs — Summary of Saiz research on immigration and housing rents

• Harvard JCHS: The Role of the Recent Immigrant Surge in Housing Costs (2024)

Immigration Statistics

• U.S. Census Bureau: American Community Survey (2023)

• DHS: Office of Immigration Statistics

Image Credit

• Photo by Caleb Perez on Unsplash