Staff Reports
Senator Bernie Moreno has promised to bring back the Immigration Stabilization Act — the very bill Senator Harry Reid introduced in 1993 — as a direct response to the Supreme Court’s recent ruling on birthright citizenship. Moreno says he will reintroduce the “exact bill” when he returns to Washington, pitching it as the legislative fix conservatives have been asking for now that the courts have closed the executive branch route. This is a clear political moment: the Court left Congress as the only realistic place to change the rules, and Moreno is stepping up to take the fight there.
What Moreno says the Reid bill would do
The proposed package is broad. It would narrow who automatically gets U.S. citizenship at birth, cut overall legal immigration by reshaping family and employment visas, cap refugee admissions, and tighten enforcement at the border. The bill also would make it a federal crime for non-citizens to vote in any election and set up a Border Control Trust Fund to pay for more Border Patrol agents, technology, and barriers. Moreno says he plans to file the same Title X language from Reid’s bill that would limit birthright citizenship for children of mothers who are neither U.S. citizens nor lawful permanent residents.
Why the timing matters after the Supreme Court
The Supreme Court’s decision rejected the executive order that tried to rewrite birthright citizenship. Chief Justice Roberts wrote that the Fourteenth Amendment protects “the right to have rights,” and other opinions made clear the constitutional and precedent questions are complex. At the same time, Justice Kavanaugh noted an important political fact: Congress can change citizenship policy by passing a law. That’s the opening Moreno is using — not a shortcut, not an executive memo, but a bill on the Senate floor.
Politics, feasibility, and the real test
Moreno’s move is smart politics and exactly the grown-up answer to a court that said “go legislate.” But the math matters. Reintroducing Reid’s 1993 text — unchanged or modernized — will face fierce Democratic opposition and vocal legal challenges. Moreno’s taunt that “let’s see how today’s DC Democrats will vote when offered the ideas of the Democrat party that used to love this country” is deliciously pointed, but winning requires co-sponsors, a clear bill number, and a serious outreach plan. Conservatives should press hard now to turn rhetorical victories into votes and build the coalition needed to pass meaningful immigration reform.
This is the moment to stop complaining about courts and start legislating. If Senator Moreno can turn Reid’s old blueprint into a modern, enforceable law, he’ll force a national debate where voters, not judges or bureaucrats, decide the rules. Expect fireworks, lawyerly challenges, and plenty of talking heads. But for Republicans who want border security, an end to voter fraud, and clarity on citizenship, Moreno’s pledge is the right play — and it’s about time someone put a bill on the table instead of just tweeting outrage.
