Newsletter 1/16/2026

This week, President Trump announced a long-overdue policy change. The Trump administration is indefinitely pausing all immigration visas from a whopping total of 75 different countries, including geopolitical enemies like Iran, and countries harming the United States financially, such as Somalia.  The 75 countries are an expansion upon the previous 19 countries that Trump previously halted immigration from. 

This change is likely a reaction to both the Somali Fraud Fiasco and escalating geopolitical tensions following the seizure of Maduro and mass protests in Iran. The fraud in Minnesota showcased why closing down Biden’s open border wasn’t enough- the criminals he let in continue to harm the American people daily. And with wars and instability causing havoc across the globe, one of the best ways to keep Americans safe from foreign enemies is to prevent them from coming here in the first place. 

Now that Trump has secured the border and begun to undo the damage it caused with mass deportations, the remaining piece of the puzzle is to shut down the legal immigration pathways that are abused by foreign opportunists and domestic corporate interests, such as H-1Bs and other visas. 

While this action by President Trump is a major positive step towards Texans For Strong Borders’ goal of creating a lasting immigration policy that serves the people of the United States, we urge him to go further. Many of the biggest abusers of our visa system, like China and India, were not included on the list of countries whose visa applications were paused.

In the aftermath of anti-ICE protests over the shooting of Renee Good in Minnesota, President Trump is attempting a daring move that could cripple left-wing cities and states that have been refusing to cooperate with ICE and CBP, and in some cases actively hindering them. Trump announced he is moving to cut ALL federal funding to any sanctuary city or state. 

This is absolutely the right move. Sanctuary cities have long threatened America’s national security and national sovereignty. They let in the most hardened foreign criminals possible, then put them on welfare to leech off the American taxpayers, all while crime statistics explode. 

If President Trump is able to successfully implement this plan and cut off all federal funding to sanctuary cities, this could be an unprecedented triumph in border security and immigration policy. 

Why, you might ask?

Well, the federal government spends hundreds of billions of dollars yearly giving assistance to states. States can then give money to cities. This funding becomes a pipeline from US taxpayers to corrupt open borders politicians, down to the illegals themselves.

The line, however, would be completely severed when Trump cuts the funding. The states and cities, especially sanctuary cities, are extremely dependent on these taxpayer subsidies. Without them, far-left politicians will have to either immensely decrease spending, gutting their treasured welfare programs, or concede to whatever Trump wants regarding ICE and the illegals. 

This is critical, substantial action by the president, and the type of policy that Texans for Strong Borders wants to see more of. America is worth defending, both at the physical border and in the courtroom.