What This Bill Does
This bill would amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to revoke the U.S. citizenship of naturalized citizens who are convicted of a terrorism-related crime. It targets people who became citizens through naturalization, not people born as U.S. citizens. The mechanism is denaturalization after a qualifying conviction, making citizenship contingent on avoiding that category of offense.
- Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act.
- Applies to naturalized U.S. citizens convicted of a terrorism-related crime.
- Would revoke citizenship after a qualifying conviction.
- Targets citizenship status, not just criminal punishment.
- Could lead to deportation consequences after denaturalization.
Who This Bill Affects
For the general public, this bill would not change taxes, benefits, or everyday eligibility rules. Its direct effect would fall on naturalized citizens convicted of terrorism-related crimes, who could face loss of citizenship in addition to any criminal sentence and related immigration consequences.
See how this bill affects you — sign in for a personalized analysisWho Supports & Opposes This
- National-security hawks They argue that terrorism-related convictions should carry the strongest possible consequences, including loss of citizenship for people who obtained it through naturalization. In their view, this creates a powerful deterrent and protects the public from individuals who have committed the most serious offenses against the country.
- Victims of terrorism and public-safety advocates They may support a rule that treats terrorism as uniquely grave and ensures that convicted offenders cannot retain the privileges of U.S. citizenship. They see denaturalization as a way to reflect the severity of the harm and reinforce accountability.
- Immigration restriction advocates They often favor stricter consequences for naturalized citizens who commit serious crimes, arguing that citizenship should be reserved for those who uphold the law and allegiance to the United States. They may view the bill as a necessary safeguard against abuse of the naturalization process.
- Civil-liberties advocates They are likely to argue that stripping citizenship is an extreme punishment that can undermine due process and create a two-tier system of citizenship. They may also worry about overbroad definitions of terrorism-related crimes and the risk of politicized enforcement.
- Immigrant-rights groups They may contend that naturalized citizens should not face a uniquely fragile form of citizenship compared with people born in the United States. Their concern is that the bill could chill full civic equality and make naturalized Americans feel permanently conditional.
- Constitutional law scholars They may question whether revoking citizenship after conviction is consistent with constitutional protections against arbitrary deprivation of nationality. They would likely focus on the legal and procedural limits on denaturalization and the possibility of litigation over the bill's scope.
Key Implications
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““revoke the citizenship of any naturalized United States citizen””
This would make citizenship revocable for a defined class of Americans after naturalization, rather than permanent absent fraud or other narrow grounds. The practical effect is to create a special vulnerability for naturalized citizens convicted under the bill.
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““convicted of a terrorism-related crime””
The trigger is a criminal conviction tied to terrorism, which means the bill would operate after the justice system has already found guilt. The real-world consequence depends heavily on how terrorism-related offenses are defined in law and charged by prosecutors.
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““amend the Immigration and Nationality Act””
This places the change inside federal immigration law, not just criminal law. That means the bill would connect a terrorism conviction to immigration status and citizenship consequences, potentially including removal from the United States.
Latest Status
June 2, 2026
Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
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Ask AI about this billData sourced from api.congress.gov.