For representatives and senators who are Republican, when your story is about work, business, or talent. This template keeps the focus on American employers, American universities, and the United States’ ability to compete for the world’s best people — the economic frame. Copy the letter below, fill in the [brackets], print, sign, and mail.
[Your Name]
[Your Street Address]
[Your City, State ZIP]
[Your campaign email: [email protected]]
[Date]
The Honorable [Representative/Senator Full Name]
[District Office Address — from Step 2]
RE: Proclamations 10949 and 10998 — American Jobs and American
Competitiveness. Congress Must Act.
Dear [Representative/Senator] [Last Name]:
I am your constituent, and I am writing about the travel bans and
visa freezes created by Presidential Proclamations 10949 and 10998.
[ONE PERSONAL PARAGRAPH — pick the one that fits you, delete the rest:
• "I own/manage/work at [business name] in [city]. We hired
[name], a [job title] from [country], and [his/her] approved
visa has been frozen. Our project is stalled and the position
sits empty."
• "I am an employer in [industry] in [district/state]. These
proclamations tell the world's best [engineers/scientists/
doctors] that the United States is closed for business — and
they are taking their talent to [Canada/Europe/Asia] instead."
• "I am a student at [school] admitted to study in the United
States, and I cannot begin or continue my studies."
• "I was selected in the diversity visa lottery the U.S.
government itself runs — and my selection is expiring while
I wait."
• "I am not an employer or a visa applicant, but I believe the
United States should not be forfeiting talent to its
competitors by presidential memo."]
The United States built these visa categories deliberately. EB-1
exists because Congress decided America should win the competition
for the world's most gifted people. H-1B, L-1, and O-1 exist because
Congress decided American companies should be able to hire the best
person for the job. Our universities admit students from around the
world because that is how the best research gets done — and how the
next generation of American-trained talent stays here.
These proclamations undo that strategy by memo. Entire countries'
worth of talent — including people our government had already
approved — is now being recruited by our competitors instead. In
my case, [one sentence about the specific loss: "an approved
[EB-1/H-1B] holder is unable to start a job [my business / a
business in your district] needs" / "a research project at
[school] sits without its scientist"].
[If applicable:] The affected person's case was already approved.
Our government ran the checks under the standards Congress wrote,
and the answer was yes. A memorandum then froze it — not because
of anything this person did, but because of where they were born.
There is also an institutional issue: in 8 U.S.C. § 1202, Congress
assigned visa adjudication to career consular officers. That
authority has been moved to political appointees. A statute passed
by Congress should not be overridden by an internal memo.
I ask you to take five actions, all within Congress's existing
power:
1. Hold oversight hearings on the exception process and the
internal guidance produced in the Chikumba litigation;
2. Restore the immediate-family exception that existed under
Proclamation 10949 until December 2025;
3. Press for the resumption of processing at every stage — new
filings, paused cases, and approved visas;
4. Urge the State Department to preserve DV-2026 eligibility for
winners from affected countries;
5. Press for the end of the proclamations — restoring case-by-case
adjudication under the law Congress wrote.
[If you have a specific case:] I would also ask your office to open
a congressional inquiry into this specific case. I will promptly
sign any privacy release your staff needs.
I would appreciate a written response to [your campaign email
address / this address]. Congress must act.
Respectfully,
[Your Signature]
[Your Printed Name]
[City, State]
Enclosures: [list any documents you enclosed, or delete this line]How to use this template
- Replace every [bracketed] item; delete any paragraph or fill-in option that doesn’t apply to you
- Lead with your American stake — “I own a business in your district” or “I work at [company]” — your economic stake in the member’s own district is this letter’s strongest asset
- If you’re an employer, name the job and the stakes concretely (“the position sits empty, and the project is delayed until [quarter/year]”) — specifics, not slogans
- Enclose copies (never originals) of case documents: the approved petition, the offer letter, the visa approval notice
- Print, sign in ink, and mail to the district office (from Step 2)
- Keep a copy of what you sent; when the office replies, send it to [email protected] (Step 5)