Congress bans entry for nationals of 40 countries with minimal due process
H.R. 9710 — Third World Immigration Moratorium Act · Filed by Nancy Mace (R-SC) · Introduced Jul 15, 2026 · Referred to committee
Your members of Congress
Enter a ZIP to see where your representative and both senators stood on this bill.
Looked up on this device — your ZIP is never stored on our servers.
What it does
This bill prohibits nationals of 40 named countries—including Afghanistan, Iran, Syria, Venezuela, Haiti, and most sub-Saharan African nations—from entering the United States, with narrow exceptions for dual nationals, athletes at major sporting events, and those with critical national-interest waivers. The Secretary of Homeland Security may grant case-by-case waivers at his discretion, and the State Department must report every 180 days on whether the ban should continue.
Why we flagged it
The bill's core mechanism is a categorical entry prohibition on nationals of 40 named countries, with discretionary executive waivers. It is functionally a travel ban, not a security vetting reform or procedural clarification.
What the text implies
- The bill applies only to aliens outside the US without valid visas on enactment, creating a temporal cliff that may incentivize rushed visa applications before passage and creates legal uncertainty for pending cases.
- The discretionary waiver power granted to the Secretary of Homeland Security is nearly unlimited ('critical national interest' is undefined), effectively delegating legislative authority to the executive and removing judicial review opportunities.
The full analysis lists 5 implications of this text.
Who it affects
The bill restricts the rights of foreign nationals to seek entry and asylum, narrowing pathways for refugees, family reunification, and humanitarian immigration from designated countries. While immigration restrictions are within Congress's authority, this blanket ban on 40 countries—many experiencing humanitarian crises—eliminates due-process review for individuals and shifts discretionary power entirely to executive officials, reducing transparency and accountability in immigration decisions.