X user calls to end visa programs

X user @DVogel60 posted on July 9 that the U.S. president should issue an executive order “ending the visa programs” and then have Congress “codify it,” according to a social-media briefing tied to the day’s immigration discussion. The post appeared in a cluster of July 9 messages about deportation and immigration enforcement, with other users also urging executive action followed by legislation. The briefing linked the discussion to a separate X post that aggregated the day’s political conversation. U.S. visa programs, however, sit inside a statutory framework created and repeatedly amended by Congress through the Immigration and Nationality Act. ### What exactly did the X post say? The July 9 post attributed to @DVogel60 said: “Now get an EO ending the visa programs, and get Congress to codify it,” according to the supplied social briefing. The same briefing said the comment was part of broader July 9 discussion on immigration and deportation, and that related posts called for Congress to be involved after any executive action. The social briefing also cited an X post from @eyesover_us as a related item in the same discussion stream. (uscis.gov) The supplied material did not identify @DVogel60 beyond the handle, and no government official or campaign was named in the post excerpt provided to us. ### Can a president end U.S. visa programs by executive order alone? The Immigration and Nationality Act was enacted in 1952, and USCIS says it contains many of the most important provisions of U.S. immigration law. USCIS also says Congress has amended the INA many times through later public laws, underscoring that visa categories and immigration rules are largely statutory rather than created only by presidential directive. USCIS’s laws-and-policy pages say immigration authorities follow statutes, regulations, executive orders, administrative decisions and court orders. That means presidents can shape enforcement and some entry restrictions, but the legal architecture for visa classifications is rooted in federal law. ### Which visa programs are clearly established in statute? Congress established the Diversity Immigrant Visa Program through the Immigration Act of 1990, according to the USCIS Policy Manual. (uscis.gov) USCIS says that law created a new immigrant visa category for people from countries with lower rates of immigration to the United States. USCIS also maintains program-specific pages for categories such as H-1B specialty occupations, reflecting how visa pathways are administered under statutory and regulatory authorities rather than as stand-alone White House programs. (uscis.gov) The agency’s policy material says officers use the Policy Manual, policy memoranda, the INA and the Code of Federal Regulations when adjudicating cases. (uscis.gov) ### Why did the post mention Congress “codify it”? The word “codify” in the post points to legislation. USCIS’s legislation page says that when Congress enacts immigration laws, it can amend existing INA sections or add new ones. That is the mechanism by which permanent changes to visa categories are typically made. The USCIS laws-and-policy page separately lists legislation alongside executive orders and regulations, indicating that executive action and congressional action operate on different legal tracks. (uscis.gov) In practice, a president can direct agencies and issue proclamations or orders within existing authority, while Congress writes or rewrites the underlying statute. ### Where does this fit in the July 9 online debate? (uscis.gov) The July 9 social briefing said immigration and deportation were among the day’s recurring political themes on X. It listed @DVogel60’s message as one of several posts pushing for immediate policy action on visas, and said related users were calling for Congress to lock in executive action afterward. USCIS’s public site remained active on July 9 with existing immigration services, forms, policy resources and case tools. (uscis.gov) The agency’s site also showed recent policy and enforcement-related updates, but there was no indication in the materials reviewed that any U.S. government action on July 9 had ended visa programs. ### What is the concrete next thing to watch? The USCIS laws-and-policy pages are the place where formal federal immigration changes appear, including legislation, policy manual updates and related guidance. Any move to eliminate visa categories would also require action traceable through Congress, because the INA is the core statute governing U.S. immigration and nationality law. (uscis.gov 1) (uscis.gov 2)