Immigration

Legal immigration levels

97 public statements from 2026 candidates · 1 related bill

§1The range of views

Why this matters: It shapes the size of the workforce, competition for jobs and housing, which jobs employers can fill, and how easily families can bring relatives from abroad.

Drafted by AI, then checked for neutral wording in a separate AI review. It describes the question and the main positions, not any candidate's view. Facts link to their sources.

How many people get green cards to live in the US permanently each year, about one million or more in most recent years, and how many come on temporary work visas.1

  1. Admit more immigrants, such as by adding work visas or clearing family backlogs
  2. Keep green cards and work visas near recent levels
  3. Admit fewer immigrants than in recent years
  4. Pause most new legal immigration for a time

These options describe policies, not people. The order is not a ranking.

§2What candidates have said

Why this matters: Statements candidates made publicly, summarized in plain words with a link to where they said it. Candidates who haven't spoken publicly on this issue aren't listed.

Drafted by AI from the public sources cited. Each sentence links to its source.

Admit more immigrants, such as by adding work visas or clearing family backlogs (30)

  • Steve G. Parsons AR-1
    His campaign website calls for cutting the bureaucracy around green cards and work visas, granting more of them to fill job openings, and adding immigration staff paid for by an expedited-review fee.2,3
  • Michael Masuda CA-5
    His campaign website says he would expand and modernize legal immigration pathways and reduce backlogs for families and employers.4
  • Mai Vang CA-7
    Her campaign website says she would end green card limits that she says keep families apart and fully fund the services needed to clear backlogs.5
  • Connie Chan CA-11
    Her campaign website says she would increase visas in backlogged family immigration categories.6
  • Sam Liccardo CA-16
    His campaign website says he supports giving green cards to foreign STEM graduates of U.S. colleges, raising caps on employment-based visas, creating a startup visa and new visas for jobs with chronic labor shortages, and clearing the green card backlog.7
  • Zoe Lofgren CA-18
    Her official biography says she has worked to reduce backlogs for family-sponsored and employment-based immigrant visas and to create a new visa program for immigrant entrepreneurs.8
  • Jimmy Gomez CA-34
    His campaign website says he has cosponsored legislation to increase family- and employment-based visas.9
  • Luke Bronin CT-1
    His campaign website calls for legal pathways that encourage more legal immigration.10
  • Mike Sell FL-4
    His campaign's platform calls for eliminating per-country caps on employment-based visas, raising the annual number of green cards to reflect actual demand, and funding the federal immigration services agency to clear its case backlog.11,12
  • Carlos A. Gimenez FL-28
    His official House website says he opposes efforts to reduce current immigration levels and supports an increase in employment-based visa programs such as H-1B, as long as it does not take away from Americans.13
  • Matt Day GA-2
    His campaign website lists more immigrants coming in to pay taxes, and new H-2A visas, among the ways it proposes to raise revenue for Social Security, Medicare and the federal budget.14,15
  • Ed Case HI-1
    His campaign website's agenda lists support for expanded legal immigration while curtailing illegal immigration.16
  • Thomas Laehn IA Senate
    His campaign website says he would fight for a secure border and to raise or eliminate caps on the number of people who can immigrate legally.17
  • Sarah Zabel ID-1
    Her Social Security plan says she supports expanding legal immigration to grow the workforce, and her immigration outline says Congress should set visa goals for each category of worker with periodic revision.18,19
  • Ellie Gilbreath ID-2
    Her policies page says she will expand work visas to allow an efficient and legal pathway for seasonal and year-round workers for farms and dairies.20
  • Darin LaHood IL-16
    His campaign website says he is committed to increasing legal immigration, because America has been stronger when it welcomes those who follow the rules and want to contribute.21
  • André Carson IN-7
    His campaign website says expanding legal visa programs would keep families together and strengthen the economy and security.22
  • Brad A. Meyer IN-9
    His campaign website says he would expand legal, controlled and documented immigration and modernize visa programs so that legal immigration meets workforce needs.23,24
  • Jay J Bowman KY-6
    His campaign website says it supports expanding visa programs for skilled workers, students and family members of U.S. citizens so that more people can enter the country legally.25
  • Tia LeBrun LA-3
    Her campaign website's Policy Plans page lists expanding legal immigration pathways for industries facing labor shortages.26
  • John Deaton MA Senate
    His campaign website says he would secure the border, end catch-and-release and reform the asylum process while expanding legal immigration, and that he rejects both blanket amnesty and mass deportation.27
  • Adrian Boafo MD-5
    His campaign website says he would widen legal paths to immigration by simplifying work, student and family visas.28
  • Chris Dardzinski MI-13
    His campaign website’s '5 by 5’ proposal would increase legal immigration overall and all work-visa programs by 5% a year from fiscal year 2026 through 2030.29
  • Ilhan Omar MN-5
    It says she wants faster processing times and an end to what it calls arbitrary caps on green cards for family members and workers.30
  • Maad Abu-Ghazalah NC-7
    His campaign website's Platform page says he would increase the number of visas to better match how many immigrants the country wants and would streamline the immigration process so that coming legally is the more attractive choice.31
  • William B. Redpath OH Senate special
    His campaign website says he agrees that all immigration should be allowed except for a small number of people, such as criminals, terrorists, the seriously ill or others who would harm people here.32
  • Curtis Stinnett OK Senate
    His campaign website says he would support raising immigration quotas and adding court resources to clear the backlog of immigration cases.33
  • Brian L Bengs SD Senate
    His campaign website says immigration reform must include strong border security and increased legal immigration, which it says are needed for economic growth and to keep Social Security strong.34
  • Ted Brown TX Senate
    His campaign website says he favors an Ellis Island-style system in which foreigners are welcome to come after checks for criminal records and contagious diseases, may enter at any port of entry and may work from their first day.35
  • Rachel Fetty Anderson WV Senate
    Her campaign website says the United States should encourage more professional workers, especially medical professionals, to move here.36

Statements that don't match one option (67)

  • Tom Cotton AR Senate
    His campaign website says he wrote the RAISE Act to overhaul legal immigration by ending what it calls chain migration and putting American workers first.37
  • Ami Bera CA-3
    His campaign website says the U.S. should encourage talented students who study here to stay, work and start companies in the country.38
  • Lateefah Simon CA-12
    Her campaign website says she would expand legal pathways to work authorization and citizenship and end backlogs that lengthen waits for asylum applicants and employment-based immigration.39
  • Peter Sundin Soulé CA-16
    His campaign website says he would reform the H-1B visa program to favor hiring Americans.40,41
  • Ritesh Tandon CA-17
    His campaign website says legal immigration should favor high-skilled workers through expanded merit-based pathways with wage protections for U.S. workers, end per-country limits for highly skilled workers, and prioritize spouses and children in family immigration.42,43
  • Sam Gallucci CA-26
    His campaign website calls for streamlining work permits in fields with labor shortages so employers can fill jobs.44
  • Cristian Morales CA-43
    His campaign website's platform says he supports legal immigration and streamlining lawful immigration processes, giving priority to immigrants who follow the law and contribute.45
  • Chuong V. Vo CA-45
    His campaign website says he would modernize legal immigration so employers can hire lawfully and families can follow a fair, orderly process without years of delay.46
  • Dave Min CA-47
    His campaign website says he supports changes to the immigration system that make it easier for employers to recruit the talent they need.47
  • Jenny Rae Le Roux CA-47
    Her campaign website says she will support a legal immigration process that is clear and fair.48
  • Jim Desmond CA-48
    His campaign website says he would streamline legal immigration for skilled workers, family reunification and humanitarian cases, give priority to areas of economic need such as agriculture, technology and health care, and create an online application system.49
  • Jeff Belle CA-52
    His campaign website says he supports stronger border security, tougher action against cartels and smugglers, and a lawful, swift immigration process that works for employers, families and the economy.50
  • Mark Baisley CO Senate
    His campaign website says America is enriched by immigrants, describes the roughly 1.2 million people admitted legally each year as vetted to be nonviolent, self-reliant and willing to assimilate, and says those not admitted should build liberty in their own countries.51
  • Shimon Blau CO-1
    His campaign website calls for securing the border while building a faster, more efficient legal immigration system.52
  • Jeff Hurd CO-3
    His campaign website says he strongly supports legal immigration and expanding opportunities for legal immigrants, but that the border must be secured immediately and Border Patrol given the resources it needs.53
  • Jason Crow CO-6
    His campaign website says family-based immigration should stand on equal footing with business- and skills-based immigration, and that businesses need workers in nearly every part of the economy.54
  • George Patrick Austin CT-2
    His campaign website calls for updating visa systems and reducing excessive wait times so that legal immigration is accessible to people who follow the law.55
  • Amanda Marie Green FL-2
    Her campaign website says she will work to improve legal immigration pathways and address critical workforce needs, saying the current system can take years or decades to serve people who come for school or work.56
  • Ralph Groves FL-11
    His campaign website says legal, regulated immigration boosts the economy and the population and that immigration processes should be simplified to enhance it.57
  • Brian Lambert FL-14
    His campaign website says he supports legal immigration and wants a system that is lawful, efficient and transparent and that treats fairly the people who follow its rules.58
  • Brent Andersen FL-20
    His campaign website says he supports legal immigration and protections for families who followed the rules.59
  • Brian Mast FL-21
    His campaign website says the legal immigration system should be reformed to end arbitrary policies that hurt the economy, so that the country can be welcoming to those who follow its laws.60
  • James T. Martin FL-21
    His campaign website lists repairing a visa system it calls broken, in which families wait decades, among his immigration priorities.61
  • Casey Askar FL-22
    His campaign website says the merit-based America First immigration policy should stay in place.62
  • Te Mayonna Brown FL-24
    Her campaign home page lists eliminating the H-1B program among its plans, and her Issues page calls for reforming the program so that employers pay competitive wages and the visas are kept for high-skill workforce needs that American workers cannot fill that American workers cannot fill.63,64
  • Nicole Locklin FL-26
    Her campaign website says legal immigration strengthens the economy and that reducing immigration as the population ages makes economic growth harder.65
  • Scott Eckhard Jewett FL Governor
    His campaign website says legal immigration should be made simpler and faster.66
  • Joe Mitchell IA-2
    His campaign website says he supports a temporary ban on H-1B visas and a long-term plan that prioritizes Americans in the U.S. and in the global labor market.67
  • Matt Loesby ID Senate
    His campaign website says the US should admit only immigrants invited by US citizen landowners who take financial responsibility for them.68
  • Terri Pickens ID Governor
    Her campaign website says the US needs immigrant workers and should have simple, easy ways for them to work here.69
  • Michael Scott Noack IL-2
    His campaign website says he supports legal immigration and wants to fix the legal immigration process so it is clear, fair and works.70
  • Tommy Hanson IL-5
    His campaign website says he believes in robust, lawful immigration.71
  • Niki Conforti IL-6
    Her campaign website says she fully supports legal immigration.72
  • Jennifer Davis IL-8
    Her campaign website says she supports streamlining legal immigration pathways to make them faster, clearer and fairer, and prioritizing legal immigration for skilled workers.73
  • Daniel Biss IL-9
    His campaign website says he will work to fix the visa system, modernize quotas and cut wait times for legal entry.74
  • Bill Foster IL-11
    His campaign website says he supports a reform framework, based on the 2013 Senate bill, that makes realistic adjustments to the number of worker visas in various categories.75
  • Whitfield Harrington Jr IL Senate
    His campaign website says legal immigration should be made easier than entering the country illegally.76
  • Jamee Decio IN-2
    Her campaign website says she supports a safe, secure and simple visa system that allows immigrants to work in areas with critical labor shortages.77
  • Marlin A. Stutzman IN-3
    His campaign website says the legal immigration system must operate on the principle of a high wall and a wide gate, and that the country can thrive only when the federal government keeps its borders and communities secure.78
  • Victoria Spartz IN-5
    Her campaign website says the legal immigration process takes too long and is too expensive and bureaucratic, and that curbing illegal immigration requires changing the legal process to better serve the national interest, including a more robust work visa program.79
  • Tonya L. Hudson IN-9
    Her campaign website says the system for entering the U.S. is outdated and cumbersome and should be streamlined to make it easier for migrant workers to enter legally, with more entry-check points and more immigration judges.80
  • Maria Teresa Rodriguez KY-3
    Her campaign website's Where I Stand card says she supports legal immigration and keeping the borders secure.81
  • Jeremy Todd KY-4
    His campaign website says a free society should remain open to legal, orderly immigration while keeping secure, enforced borders, and that he does not support open borders.82
  • Gordon Heslop LA-4
    His campaign website lists ending what it calls chain migration among its goals, saying it may be nice for a family but is a bad immigration option for a country.83
  • Lori Loureiro Trahan MA-3
    A Policy Priorities page that appears only in her campaign website's site map says immigration quotas and admission criteria need updating because industries such as agriculture, manufacturing, health care and technology need qualified workers, and its 2018 Immigration Policy page says family migration poses little threat to the country and describes the family visa system as badly backlogged.84,85
  • Dan Koh MA-6
    His campaign website says he strongly opposes attacks on legal pathways to citizenship and supports expanding new avenues for immigration.86
  • Rasheed Nicholas Walters MA-8
    His campaign website says he will end the H-1B, OPT, STEM OPT, L-1 and E-2 visa categories and other work visas, end student visas and sharply restrict the EB-1 visa.87
  • Ronald C. Russell ME-1
    His campaign website says he embraces legal immigration and that the country should examine whether the more than one million legal immigrants it accepts for citizenship each year is the right number or should be raised or lowered.88
  • John Moolenaar MI-2
    His campaign website says visa programs need reforms so businesses can reach the workers they need, while making sure visa holders go home when their visas expire instead of staying unlawfully.89
  • Heather Smiley MI-6
    Her campaign website lists addressing chain migration and protecting existing guest-worker provisions among its immigration goals.90
  • Jeremy Moss MI-11
    His campaign website says the outdated visa system should be overhauled to meet the country’s labor needs and the needs of people seeking economic opportunity.91
  • Tyler Bass MN-3
    His campaign website says he supports legal immigration and wants to explore a government-backed online system matching employers with immigrants who apply for legal permission to work in hard-to-fill, physically demanding jobs; the same page says he wants to stop immigration entirely and would ideally halt all immigration, H-1B visas included, for 10 years. The site says H-1B loopholes should be cut, calls the $100,000 fee on new H-1B petitions a first step, and calls for audits of job-placement firms and checks that the person hired is the one who interviewed.92,93,94
  • John Nagel MN-5
    Its immigration section says he supports legal immigration with quicker processing, and policies that favor people who follow the rules.95
  • Doug Chapin MN-6
    It says he supports immigration laws with clear rules and a straightforward path to citizenship, and reforms that cut the time, cost and red tape of becoming an American.96
  • Trina Swanson MN-8
    The priorities page says she wants more immigration judges and officers and more processing resources, plus visas for students and seasonal visas for farm workers.97
  • Tom Schmitz MO-1
    His campaign website says that, in a society with no compulsory taxes or government welfare, immigrants would be able to cross borders as freely as possible, and that this is the system he ultimately advocates. Its home page says Libertarians want as little government force as possible, ideally none, on immigration and other contested issues.98,99
  • Michael A. Chiaradio MS-3
    His campaign website says limited legal immigration can support business growth, spending and innovation if the country first invests in housing, schools and healthcare for new arrivals, and that the country should attract global talent.100
  • Carl Boyanton MS-4
    His campaign website says he supports legal immigration and streamlined legal pathways for skilled workers whose values align with the country’s, along with strict enforcement of immigration laws.101
  • Brian J Miller MT-2
    His campaign website's Social Security page says immigrant labor can and should be brought into the country in a lawful way to help support Social Security.102
  • Michael D Eisenhauer MT-2
    His Issues page says immigrants should be welcomed but must come into the country legally through a managed process, and that the reliance of many farm sectors on migrant workers to bring in their crops needs to be supported.103
  • Shannon W. Bray NC Senate
    His campaign website supports enforcing existing immigration laws and streamlining legal immigration.104
  • Cyril Jefferson NC-6
    His campaign website says he would expand legal visa pathways and make hiring simpler for trusted employers as part of fixing the immigration system.105
  • David Rouzer NC-7
    His campaign website's issues page says he would replace federal laws that let people gain citizenship through family ties with a work or military service requirement, and would set up easy-to-use high-skilled visa programs for businesses that need advanced skilled workers.106
  • Jack Codiga NC-12
    His platform page says work visas should be limited.107
  • Paul Barringer NC-13
    His priorities page says the legal immigration system should be updated so that it supplies workers where they are needed, particularly in farming, health care and technology, and that people who follow the rules should have a clear way forward.108
  • Helene Neville ND-AL
    Her campaign website lists creating more lawful routes to immigrate for workers and families as part of the comprehensive immigration reform she supports.109
  • Denise Powell NE-2
    Her campaign website says she would create legal avenues for workers needed in Nebraska industries such as agriculture, manufacturing, health care and hospitality.110

§3Related bills

Why this matters: Bills from 2023–2026 that bear on this issue, with how Congress handled them.