Sierra Leonean-American’s Attack Sparks Immigration Law Debate

In 2015, Mohamed Bayler Jallow, a naturalized American originally from Sierra Leone, traveled to Nigeria where he made contact with ISIS. He began online communications with a terrorist, who, fortunately, turned out to be an FBI informant. Jallow faced arrest, conviction, and was sentenced to 11 years in federal prison for providing material support to ISIS.

Ideally, after his conviction, Jallow should have faced deportation. However, as a naturalized citizen, he was allowed to remain in the United States.

By early 2024, he was released from prison. Tragically, on March 12 of this year, he entered a classroom at Old Dominion University and opened fire, resulting in the death of retired Army officer Lt. Col. Brandon Shah.

Shah, originally from Staunton, Virginia, joined the Army in 2003 and piloted Apache helicopters in areas like Iraq and Afghanistan. After surviving severe combat, he was shot by a terrorist while engaged in teaching on American soil.

This disturbing incident is one that shouldn’t have happened. Citizens shouldn’t have to fear an attack from someone previously convicted of conspiracy against the nation.

To address this issue, I’ve proposed a new legislation called the Denaturalization and Deportation of Persons Who Orchestrate Radical Terrorism Act. Its aim is to prevent similar tragedies from occurring.

This new law clarifies that any naturalized citizen involved in terrorist activities—whether committing acts, planning attacks, or supporting terrorist organizations—will face denaturalization and deportation. Essentially, Jallow’s support for terrorism should have marked his last act in America.

Naturalization is meant to signify a pledge of loyalty to the United States. Engaging in terrorism contradicts that promise—it’s fundamentally against our values. Individuals convicted of terrorism-related crimes show a blatant disloyalty and should be expelled without hesitation.

Many Americans are understandably taken aback upon learning this is not already law. As noted by FBI Director Kash Patel, denaturalizing terrorists is currently “very difficult.” The government must show that citizenship was obtained under fraudulent circumstances.

At present, participating in terrorism after becoming a citizen is treated rather leniently. Fraud must be shown to have occurred within five years of gaining citizenship.

The DePORtation Act extends this denaturalization window to 10 years, thereby enabling authorities to pursue lone-wolf terrorists who may not have formal affiliations with recognized terrorist groups but are driven by extremist content online.

Moreover, the bill requires the Secretary of Homeland Security to modify citizenship applications to mandate that future applicants assert they do not intend to commit acts of terrorism against the U.S. If this rule had been in place when Jallow was naturalized, the situation might have turned out differently.

Introducing this bill would be sensible at any point in U.S. history. It rings particularly true now, considering over 50 million people born abroad reside in the country, which is nearly 15% of the entire U.S. population.

Additionally, a significant number of these immigrants hail from regions with active terrorist networks. Compounding this issue, the Biden administration has welcomed many individuals into the U.S. with minimal vetting.

Jallow’s attack wasn’t an isolated event. Ndiaga Diagne, who opened fire in a beer garden in Austin, Texas, last March, was a naturalized citizen from Senegal. He wore a “Property of Allah” shirt during the attack, killing two and injuring many others.

Similarly, Ayman Mohammad Ghazali, a Lebanese-born individual, crashed his truck into the Temple of Israel in Michigan last month, and he too was a naturalized citizen.

It’s simply untenable to maintain the status quo.

Being able to denaturalize and deport individuals convicted of terrorism isn’t extreme. It’s a necessary step toward restoring national sovereignty and safeguarding Americans from potential threats lurking within our borders.