Proposed Bill to Bar Foreign-Born from Congress

Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) appeared largely unperturbed when asked about a new Republican proposal designed to prohibit foreign-born individuals from holding positions in Congress.

“I wish her the best,” Omar remarked to Fox News Digital, sharing her thoughts on the prospective bill.

Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) announced on Wednesday that she plans to introduce a constitutional amendment necessitating that members of Congress, federal judges, and Senate-confirmed officials be natural-born citizens.

This amendment would align the citizenship requirements for these officials with those already set for the presidency and vice presidency.

Omar, who became a U.S. citizen in 2000 after emigrating from Somalia, was one of three politicians specifically called out by Mace on X Corp. when she unveiled her “long-awaited” resolution. In her post, Mace mentioned Omar, along with Shri Thanedar and Pramila Jayapal.

Currently, 26 non-native-born individuals are serving in Congress, comprised of 19 Democrats and seven Republicans.

Omar told Fox News Digital that she is not worried about how long the bill might take to pass. Meanwhile, Mace expressed her position, stating, “If you’re going to hold power in the United States government, you should be a natural-born American citizen. For too long, we’ve allowed foreign-born members to hold seats in this government, but their loyalty isn’t here. We see it every day.”

It’s worth noting that altering the Constitution is a significant challenge; it requires a two-thirds approval from both the House and Senate, followed by ratification from three-quarters of the states.

The proposal currently lacks widespread backing from House Republican leaders and does not have a broad base of co-sponsors.

Omar was also questioned about another Republican initiative called the Dual Loyalty Disqualification Act, introduced by Florida Rep. Randy Fine in October. This bill aims to prevent individuals with dual citizenship from serving in Congress, stipulating that they must renounce any foreign nationality in order to qualify.

When asked about Fine’s bill, Omar responded, “Who is that?”

Fine countered by asserting, “I think it’s a fair argument that you can only pledge allegiance to one country, and if you’re in Congress, that allegiance should be to the United States. This bill will ensure that the people who make the laws for our people are not divided into two voices but are themselves fully committed to our country.” However, Fine’s legislation hasn’t seen significant progress since it was assigned to the House Judiciary Committee last year.