Austin, Texas — March 4, 2026 — In a sharp escalation of the national immigration debate, more than 70 Texas House Republicans have urged Congress to immediately pause all immigration into the United States and freeze H-1B visas, arguing that the federal government’s vetting systems are inadequate to protect Americans amid heightened terror threats.
The call came just one day after a mass shooting on Austin’s Sixth Street that killed two people, wounded 14 others, and left authorities investigating a potential act of terrorism. The suspect, 53-year-old Ndiaga Diagne — a naturalized U.S. citizen originally from Senegal — was fatally shot by police at the scene. Diagne entered the U.S. on a B-2 tourist visa in March 2000, became a lawful permanent resident in 2006 after marrying a U.S. citizen, and was naturalized in 2013. He was wearing a sweatshirt reading “Property of Allah” and a shirt featuring an Iranian flag design during the rampage outside Buford’s Bar early Sunday morning, roughly 26 hours after U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran.
Led by State Rep. Cole Hefner (R-Mount Pleasant), chair of the House Committee on Homeland Security, Public Safety & Veterans’ Affairs, the group of 71 Republican lawmakers sent a letter Monday to congressional leaders — House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.), and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) — outlining four specific demands:
1. Fully fund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which has faced a partial shutdown amid partisan disputes over immigration enforcement.
2. Immediately freeze all H-1B visa issuances and conduct a comprehensive audit of existing holders.
3. Pause all immigration processing “until proper vetting protocols are established.”
4. Redirect resources to identify and neutralize potential terrorist threats already inside the country.
“Until we can guarantee that our systems are capable of identifying, tracking, and vetting individuals who enter the United States, we cannot in good conscience continue to process new immigration applications at the current pace,” the letter states. “A pause is not anti-immigrant — it is pro-American.”
Hefner emphasized unity against extremism: “Terrorists do not care about party affiliation. … We share far more in common with one another than we will ever share with radical Islamic extremism.” He added that if Congress fails to act, Texas stands ready to use “every legal and legislative tool available” to protect its citizens.
The push builds on earlier actions by Texas leaders. Gov. Greg Abbott ordered state agencies and public universities in January to freeze new H-1B applications. It also aligns with a broader Trump administration crackdown on legal immigration and a 2025 Texas GOP platform resolution calling for a net migration moratorium until the border is secured.
Republicans have tied the Austin attack directly to perceived failures in the immigration system, even though Diagne had lived legally in the U.S. for more than 25 years. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick echoed the letter’s funding demand on social media, accusing Democrats of “political gamesmanship” that starves DHS of resources.
Democrats responded by focusing on gun violence rather than immigration. A joint statement from Austin-area Democratic lawmakers read: “Gun violence continues to steal the lives of too many Texans. Our hearts are with the victims of today’s shooting and their families. We will never stop fighting for them.”
Immigration experts pushed back on the narrative. Denise Gilman, director of the Immigration Clinic at the University of Texas at Austin, noted that naturalization involves extensive vetting and that multiple studies, including those cited by NPR, show immigrants commit crimes at lower rates than U.S.-born citizens.
The letter arrives as Congress wrestles with DHS funding, complicated by recent incidents involving federal immigration agents and the U.S.-Iran conflict. Some Republican voices, including candidates in Texas’s ongoing primaries, have gone further, calling for restrictions on Muslim immigration or labeling the incident part of an “Islamification” trend.
Whether the proposal gains traction in Washington remains uncertain. Supporters frame it as a commonsense national security measure; critics call it a politically timed overreaction that scapegoats immigrants for a tragedy involving a long-time legal resident. The FBI continues to investigate Diagne’s motive, with no final determination released as of Tuesday.
This story is developing.
For More News Updates Follow Us On www.tconews.in
