Somalia Immigration Moratorium Act
Summary
What This Bill Does
This bill declares a 25-year moratorium for citizens and nationals of Somalia. During that period, Somali nationals generally may not receive visas or immigration status, and the bill also bars them from withholding of removal under INA section 241(b)(3). The exceptions cover people lawfully admitted before enactment, lawful permanent residents, and certain A, C-2, C-3, and G nonimmigrant categories tied to diplomatic, transit, and international-organization status. Additional exceptions require the Secretary of State or a designee to coordinate with DHS or a DHS designee.
Who Benefits and How
Supporters of stricter immigration screening and national-security advocates benefit from a categorical bar that gives the State Department and DHS a narrow exception process rather than case-by-case ordinary admission. Diplomatic and international-organization travelers from Somalia retain limited pathways through specified nonimmigrant categories.
Who Bears the Burden and How
Somali nationals seeking visas, immigration status, or withholding of removal bear the main burden because the bill blocks most pathways for 25 years. State Department consular officers, DHS immigration officials, and immigration courts must administer the moratorium, track exemptions, and coordinate exception decisions. Immigration attorneys and community organizations must help affected families navigate a narrower set of options.
Key Provisions
- Bars Somali nationals from receiving visas or immigration status for 25 years after enactment.
- Exempts people lawfully admitted before enactment, lawful permanent residents, and specified diplomatic, transit, and international-organization nonimmigrant categories.
- Requires State Department exceptions to be coordinated with DHS.
- Blocks Somali nationals from withholding of removal relief under INA section 241(b)(3).
- Provides severability so remaining provisions continue if part of the Act is invalidated.
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Imposes a 25-year immigration moratorium on Somali nationals, with narrow exemptions for existing lawful residents and diplomatic or international-organization travel.
Key Policy Areas
Immigration, National Security, Foreign Entities
Primary Purpose
Imposes a 25-year immigration moratorium on Somali nationals, with narrow exemptions for existing lawful residents and diplomatic or international-organization travel.
Policy Domains
Substantive provisions
Identified Gains
- National security advocates
- State Department
- DHS
- Diplomatic travelers from Somalia
Identified Costs
- Somali nationals
- State Department consular officers
- DHS
- Immigration courts
- Immigration attorneys
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
In CommitteeReferred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Introduced in House
Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR H2015)
Mr. Gill of Texas (for himself, Mrs. Miller of Illinois, …
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
DHS, Federal courts, State Department
Diplomatic travelers from Somalia, Somali nationals
Positive-direction: Diplomatic travelers from Somalia
Negative-direction: Somali nationals
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "dhs"
- → Department of Homeland Security
- "secretary"
- → Secretary of State
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology