WASHINGTON (Diya TV) — Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) introduced a joint resolution on Wednesday proposing a constitutional amendment that would bar naturalized citizens from serving in Congress, the federal judiciary, or any Senate-confirmed government position. The proposal seeks to extend the “natural-born citizen” requirement — currently limited to the presidency and vice presidency under Article II of the Constitution — to all members of the House and Senate, federal judges at every level, and prominent appointed officers such as Cabinet members and ambassadors.
Mace stated: “If you hold power in the American government, you should be a natural born American citizen.” She also argued that officials born in other countries could have divided loyalties, writing: “The people writing America’s laws, confirming America’s judges, and representing America on the world stage should have one loyalty: America.”
There are currently 26 naturalized citizens serving in Congress — 19 Democrats and seven Republicans. Mace specifically named three Democratic lawmakers in her social media post making the case for the amendment: Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Shri Thanedar (D-MI), and Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), writing that their “loyalty is not to America.”
All three named lawmakers, along with Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), pushed back swiftly.
Krishnamoorthi, who immigrated to the United States as an infant, said the proposal is “a betrayal of that promise and of a principle that has helped define the American story since our founding.” He argued that what defines an American is not birthplace but character, hard work, and commitment to American values.
Jayapal, who was born in India and became a U.S. citizen in 2000, described the proposal as racist and xenophobic, and noted that with the exception of Native Americans, every person in the country — including Mace — is descended from immigrants. She called on members of both parties to condemn the measure.
Thanedar, who immigrated from India and became a citizen in 1988, called the amendment “reprehensible” and argued that Mace should be focused on economic concerns facing Americans, including gas prices, healthcare costs, and housing.
Civil rights advocates and immigration groups also criticized Mace’s language, arguing that rhetoric questioning the loyalty of naturalized Americans echoes longstanding political tensions surrounding immigration and assimilation. Supporters of the proposal, however, contend that senior federal officials should meet the same citizenship standard already required of presidents, framing the amendment as a matter of national security and constitutional consistency.
Under current law, naturalized citizens can serve in the House if they have been citizens for at least seven years, and in the Senate if they have been citizens for at least nine years. The natural-born citizen restriction applies only to the presidency.
Legal scholars note that changing those standards would require clearing one of the highest bars in American governance — two-thirds approval in both chambers of Congress and ratification by three-fourths of U.S. states. Notably, Mace’s proposal would also affect some Republican members of Congress, including Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-OH), an ally of President Trump who was born in Colombia.
Mace is currently running for governor of South Carolina. Her office had not responded to requests for comment on the lawmakers’ statements at the time of publication.
