(UNITED STATES) — Representative Nancy Mace announced legislation on June 25, 2026, that would formally ban all immigration from Somalia, Sudan, and South Sudan. The bill seeks to codify restrictions the Trump administration has already imposed through a series of executive actions over the preceding six months.

The bill, introduced by the South Carolina Republican, characterizes the three African nations as “Third World hellholes” and “failed and hostile states” that pose an immediate risk to American national security. Mace’s office released the proposal as part of what she described as an “America First” agenda. She argued that existing executive measures remain vulnerable to legal challenge and could be reversed by future administrations.

“We will not put the interests of foreign nationals ahead of the safety and security of American citizens,” Mace said. “No more importing instability. No more ignoring the warning signs. No more apologizing for putting our country first. America First. Always.”

The legislative push builds on a framework of restrictions that began taking effect at the start of the year. Presidential Proclamation 10998, effective January 1, 2026, suspended most visa issuances to 19 countries. The Department of State fully halted both nonimmigrant and immigrant visa processing for nationals of Somalia, Sudan, and South Sudan. The department cited “security-focused screening and vetting procedures” as the justification for the suspensions.

Three weeks later, a separate State Department policy expanded the restrictions further. Effective January 21, 2026, that directive paused immigrant visa issuances for 75 countries based on what officials described as a “high risk of U.S. public benefits reliance.” All three African nations were included, meaning their nationals face suspensions under two distinct regulatory mechanisms operating simultaneously.

The Department of Homeland Security moved in parallel to dismantle protections for Somali nationals already living in the United States. Secretary Kristi Noem announced the termination of Somalia’s Temporary Protected Status designation on January 13, 2026. She asserted that conditions in the country had improved enough to justify ending the protection.

“Temporary means temporary,” Noem said. “Country conditions in Somalia have improved to the point that it no longer meets the law’s requirement for Temporary Protected Status. Further, allowing Somali nationals to remain temporarily in the United States is contrary to our national interests. We are putting Americans first.”

The termination was originally scheduled to take effect March 17, 2026. A federal court issued a stay before that date arrived, preserving the designation while litigation proceeds in the case African Communities Together et al. v. Noem. The ruling left the legal status of Somali beneficiaries in flux, dependent on the outcome of proceedings that could extend months beyond the original deadline.

Approximately 2,500 Somali nationals currently hold TPS and face potential deportation if the court stay is lifted. They would be returned to a country that DHS itself has described in stark terms. In a statement dated December 16, 2025, the department called Somalia a “terrorist safe haven” where the government “struggles to provide governance.” The same characterization has appeared repeatedly in agency communications justifying both the visa suspensions and the TPS termination.

USCIS issued updated guidance on May 15, 2026, confirming that Somali TPS-related Employment Authorization Documents are automatically extended through July 1, 2026, while the litigation continues. The agency did not specify what happens to work authorization after that date if the courts have not reached a final ruling. This has left beneficiaries uncertain about their ability to maintain employment beyond the summer.

The legal battles extend well beyond TPS. On June 5, 2026, a federal judge in Rhode Island blocked a USCIS policy that had placed an “indefinite pause” on processing all immigration benefits for nationals of 39 countries, including Somalia, Sudan, and South Sudan. The affected benefits included green cards and work permits, covering virtually every pathway to lawful status the agency administers.

USCIS said it “strongly disagrees” with the ruling but is complying with the court’s order while litigation continues. The injunction requires the agency to resume adjudicating benefits for nationals of the affected countries. However, the broader visa suspensions under Presidential Proclamation 10998 remain in force and are unaffected by the Rhode Island decision. The ruling and the proclamation operate on separate legal tracks, leaving nationals of the three countries caught between a court-ordered resumption of domestic benefits processing and an ongoing executive suspension of overseas visa issuance.

The overlapping directives have created a layered system of restrictions. Nationals of Somalia, Sudan, and South Sudan appear on three separate lists: the 19 countries subject to full visa suspension under the proclamation, the 75 countries flagged for public benefits reliance, and the 39 countries whose benefits processing had been indefinitely paused before the court intervention. Few nationalities in the world appear on all three.

Family-sponsored immigrant visa applications for relatives in Somalia, Sudan, and South Sudan have been paused since January. The State Department has not announced a timeline for resuming processing under either the proclamation or the public benefits review policy. Applicants who began the sponsorship process before the suspensions took effect have received no indication of when their cases might advance.

DHS has introduced an alternative pathway for those whose status is ending. The agency’s CBP Home mobile application offers what a USCIS news release on January 13, 2026, described as a “complimentary plane ticket and a $1,000 exit bonus” for Somali nationals who choose to self-deport before their status officially terminates. The release framed the program as voluntary, but the convergence of suspended visa processing, contested TPS, and court-mandated benefits adjudication has left nationals of the three countries with narrowing options for maintaining lawful presence.

Mace’s proposed legislation would remove the restrictions from the realm of executive action and judicial review entirely. By codifying the ban in statute, the bill would make it substantially more difficult for future administrations to reverse the policy through executive order alone. It would also strip federal courts of the ability to invalidate the restrictions on administrative law grounds. This was the basis on which the Rhode Island judge acted in blocking the USCIS benefits pause.

The bill’s introduction coincided with a DHS statement on June 25, 2026, celebrating what the department described as “multiple Supreme Court wins” for administration immigration policies. The statement did not address Mace’s legislation directly but reaffirmed the department’s commitment to restricting entry from countries it considers security risks. The simultaneous release underscored the dual-track strategy the administration and its congressional allies have pursued: executive enforcement layered with legislative codification.

Whether Congress will take up the measure remains uncertain. Republican leaders have not indicated whether the bill will receive a committee hearing or a floor vote, and the legislative calendar grows shorter as the year progresses. In the meantime, the administrative restrictions already in place continue to govern the status of thousands of nationals from the three countries.

The approximately 2,500 Somali TPS holders await a court ruling that will determine whether their work authorization and protection from removal survive beyond July 1, 2026. Families separated by the visa suspensions have no timeline for reunion. And the self-deportation incentive, with its $1,000 payment and complimentary airfare, remains the administration’s most explicit invitation for those caught between competing court orders and executive directives to pack up and leave.