Chip Roy Calls for Immigration Freeze After Austin Bar Shooting

A mass shooting at an Austin bar, leaving three people dead and 14 injured, has reignited a fierce congressional debate over legal immigration, with Representative Chip Roy (R-TX) citing the tragedy to amplify his push for sweeping immigration reform.

The shooting occurred Sunday at Buford's Backyard Beer Garden, near the University of Texas-Austin campus. The gunman, identified as 53-year-old Ndiaga Diagne, a naturalized U.S. citizen originally from Senegal, was reportedly wearing a "Property of Allah" hoodie at the time.

Reports indicate law enforcement and investigators are exploring a possible connection to the recent U.S. strike on Iran.

Diagne first entered the United States in March 2000 on a tourist visa during the Clinton administration. He later obtained legal permanent residency in 2006 through marriage to a U.S. citizen and was naturalized in April 2013 under President Obama.

Authorities note he had accumulated a criminal record across New York and Texas prior to the attack.

Rep. Roy responded swiftly on X, writing, “STOP TALKING ABOUT HOW GREAT “LEGAL” IMMIGRATION IS.  IT’S KILLING US.  LITERALLY. “

He followed that with a detailed breakdown of Diagne's immigration history, concluding, "This is why we are losing our country, our immigration system is a joke, and should PAUSE ALL immigration."

The shooting added momentum to legislation Roy had already introduced. In November 2025, he introduced the Pausing All Admissions Until Security Ensured (PAUSE) Act, which would freeze nearly all legal immigration until a series of conditions is codified into law.

Proposed requirements include restricting birthright citizenship, eliminating chain migration and the diversity visa lottery, and barring entry to individuals identified as members of foreign terrorist organizations or the Chinese Communist Party.

"The problem isn't just illegal immigration; it's also legal immigration," Roy said.

The PAUSE Act has not been signed into law. Critics of such proposals argue that broad immigration restrictions punish legal immigrants who contribute economically and culturally to the country.

As the investigation unfolds, one question remains: will this shooting give the PAUSE Act the momentum it needs to advance in Congress?