In reaction to 53-year-old Ndiaja Diagne shooting two people and wounding 14 others in downtown Austin after the US struck Iran, more than 70 Texas Republicans have now signed a letter to Congress demanding a halt to all forms of immigration, including the H-1B visa and the specialized work visa, as “we must know who is in this country.”
Diagne, who opened fire outside a crowded bar in Texas, was originally from Senegal and came to the United States decades ago on a tourist visa. He was wearing a T-shirt with the universal phrase “King of God” written on it, leading investigators to believe his shooting was due to the US strike on Iran. According to the Department of Homeland Security, Diane entered the United States on a tourist visa in 2000, became a lawful permanent resident by marrying a US citizen in 2006 and obtained citizenship in 2013.
He had no connection to the H-1B but Republican leaders also included H-1Bs in their message at a time when “H-1B/Indian takeover of Texas” emerged as a major issue. The letter, which includes four demands, said the people of Texas were tired of watching Washington deliver rhetoric instead of results. “More Americans will be killed if Congress continues to treat border security and immigration enforcement as a political football.
We don’t send our representatives to Washington to tweet; “We send them to govern,” GOP leaders wrote.
Four demands for Texas Republican Party leaders
Fully Funding DHS: Republican Party leaders demanded full, unencumbered funding for the Department of Homeland Security, as the department is the country’s front line. “Budget obstruction and political manipulation that deprive DHS of the resources it needs is not a negotiation tactic, but a failure of national security,” they wrote. Immediately freeze all H-1B visa issuances: All issuances of H-1B visas must be halted until a comprehensive review of current visa holders and their current status is completed.
“We must know who they are in this country, why they are here, and whether they pose any threat to national security,” the letter demanded. Pause all migrations: Temporarily halt all immigration operations until systems are able to identify, track, and screen individuals entering the United States. Redirect resources toward identifying threats that already exist within our borders: Make a coordinated, fully funded effort to reference immigration records, law enforcement databases, and intelligence reports to identify individuals who pose a credible threat to American citizens.
