GOP U.S. Representative Andy Ogles of Tennessee has called for the repeal of the Hart-Celler Immigration Act of 1965, advocating instead for the return to the restrictive immigration policies established by the 1924 law.
Ogles recently posed a rhetorical question on social media about repealing the Hart-Celler Act, arguing that it opened America’s doors to mass immigration from the developing world. He specifically cited the election of left-leaning figures such as Ilhan Omar, a Somali refugee congresswoman, and Zohran Mamdani, mayor-elect of New York.
The representative referenced the 1924 Immigration Act, signed by President Calvin Coolidge, which limited immigration to certain European countries and banned arrivals from non-European nations. Ogles described this legislation as being passed with “overwhelming” bipartisan support and effective in reducing immigrant populations while fostering assimilation.
Ogles further contended that the Hart-Celler Act has led to significant demographic shifts by favoring third-world migration, resulting in a society with vastly different cultural backgrounds than that of the 1924 era. He has consistently pushed for deportation actions against individuals he deems illegal immigrants and criticized current immigration policies.
In recent posts, Ogles targeted Zohran Mamdani as an “antisemitic, socialist, communist” who must be deported and labeled House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries a “Dollar Store Obama” whose rhetoric is “hysterically rambling.”
Ogles introduced the Send Them Back Act, which focuses on expedited removal of individuals who entered illegally since January 20, 2021. The representative has also called for ending H-1B visas and reforming immigration laws to prioritize stricter quotas.
