Rep. Troy Nehls (R-TX) announced on Saturday that he will not run for reelection in 2026, bringing his three-term tenure in the U.S. House of Representatives to a close at the end of the current session.
Nehls confirmed his upcoming departure from Congress in a written statement:
After more than 30 years in law enforcement serving and protecting my community as a police officer, constable, Fort Bend County Sheriff, an Army veteran, and six years representing this district in Congress, I have made the decision, after conversations with my beautiful bride and my girls over the Thanksgiving holiday, to focus on my family and return home after this Congress.
He also noted that he personally informed President Donald Trump of his decision before making it public, referring to Trump as “a strong ally” and “a true friend.” Nehls concluded his announcement by stating, “Serving this country in the military, serving our community in law enforcement, and serving this district in Congress has been the honor of my life. Thank you for your trust, your friendship, and your prayers.”
Nehls’ exit from Congress will conclude a congressional career marked by close alignment with Trump-era policies, especially on immigration enforcement, anti-trafficking efforts, and vocal opposition to socialism.
During his time in Congress, Nehls led or co-sponsored multiple pieces of legislation focused on illegal immigration, including the REMOVE Act and the ATD Act. The REMOVE Act, introduced in the House in July 2025, aimed to expedite deportation proceedings for illegal aliens within 15 days of their initial hearing. The legislation mirrored a parallel effort in the Senate by Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and was designed to support Trump’s initiative to increase annual deportation numbers. Nehls framed the bill as a tool to help “deliver President Trump’s mass deportation operation.”
Similarly, in May 2024, Nehls introduced the Accountability Through Deportation (ATD) Act to require the removal of aliens who failed to comply with immigration court release conditions. He cited what he viewed as the Biden administration’s failure to enforce existing immigration laws, stating that under President Trump, such individuals would only be released under “very exigent circumstances.” His office reported that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) had a backlog of over 6.2 million immigration cases at the end of fiscal year 2023.
Nehls also supported legislation to assist victims of crimes committed by illegal aliens, introducing the Justice for Angel Families Act with Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS). First introduced in 2022 and reintroduced in 2025, the bill proposed expanding the Crime Victims Fund to provide financial assistance to Angel Families—immediate relatives of those killed or victimized by illegal aliens.
The legislation would also codify the Trump-era Victims of Immigration Crime Engagement (VOICE) Office, which the Biden administration eliminated in 2021. Nehls said the bill would help “to provide support to these families of illegal alien crime,” adding that they are often “forced to bear the financial and emotional fall-out of these criminal acts, with no support from the current Administration.”
Outside of immigration issues, Nehls drew national attention for his call to investigate online platforms he accused of facilitating child exploitation. In September 2023, Nehls sent a letter to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) demanding action against Instagram and OnlyFans, claiming the platforms enabled access to child sexual abuse material (CSAM), citing alarming data from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and investigative reporting,
Nehls urged regulatory oversight of both social media platforms and credit card companies that process payments on them. He described the online activity as fueling an “Epstein Island-like” industry and called for the FTC to consider “appropriate regulatory or legislative remedies” to protect children.
Most recently, Nehls weighed in on House action to denounce socialism. On November 21, he supported Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar’s resolution condemning the “horrors of socialism,” which passed the House 285–98. Every Republican voted in favor, while the Democratic vote was split. Nehls reacted to the outcome by sharing Salazar’s breakdown of the vote and posing a blunt rhetorical question: “Are you surprised?”
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