House Majority Whip Tom Emmer says recent terrorist attacks by naturalized citizens expose serious flaws in U.S. immigration law, arguing it is "more imperative now than ever" to pass the Stop Citizenship Abuse and Misrepresentation (SCAM) Act.
The legislation, first introduced by Emmer, R-Minn., in January, would expand the government's ability to revoke citizenship from naturalized citizens convicted of terrorism, fraud or espionage. A Senate version was introduced by Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo.
Under the proposed bill, prosecutors could use crimes committed after naturalization as evidence that an individual falsely claimed good moral character during the citizenship process, effectively arguing their citizenship was invalid from the start.
Emmer said current law sets standards to denaturalize someone that are "just too high," but argued the SCAM Act provides a solution.
"If you're going to take advantage of the generosity of Americans, or you are going to associate with known terrorist organizations or commit aggravated felonies or terrorist attacks, even attempted, it doesn't matter; no more playing games," Emmer said. "You should be denaturalized and shipped back to wherever the heck you came from."
The bill currently sits in the House Judiciary Committee and has nearly 50 House co-sponsors, according to Emmer. He said he believes it will pass when scheduled for a vote and may receive some bipartisan support.
What the Right Is Saying
Emmer and bill supporters say the legislation is necessary to protect American lives following a string of recent attacks by naturalized citizens.
"The message is, terrorists do not belong on U.S. soil, naturalized or not," Emmer said.
The congressman pointed to several recent incidents: a Senegalese-born naturalized citizen who killed three people in Austin in early March; two children of naturalized citizens from Turkey and Afghanistan allegedly involved in an ISIS-inspired bomb plot in New York City; a Lebanese-born naturalized citizen who allegedly attempted to ram his vehicle into a Michigan synagogue; and a Sierra Leonean-born naturalized citizen who opened fire at Old Dominion University, killing an ROTC instructor.
"Clearly something is broken in our immigration system," Emmer said. "Terrorists keep getting into our country and they keep being allowed to stay here at the expense of Americans and American lives."
What the Left Is Saying
Progressive critics and community advocates have raised concerns about the SCAM Act, arguing it could create conditional citizenship that threatens civil liberties.
Abdikadir Bashir, executive director of the Center for African Immigrants and Refugees Organization and a community activist in Minnesota, told MPRNews that Emmer is "trying to erase us politically."
"The moment citizenship becomes conditional on whether a politician finds us convenient, none of us is safe," Bashir said. "Today, it might be the Somali Americans. Tomorrow, it could be another ethnic group."
Civil liberties advocates have argued that using post-naturalization crimes to invalidate original citizenship applications could set a dangerous precedent, potentially affecting lawful permanent residents who have committed offenses unrelated to terrorism.
What the Numbers Show
The SCAM Act has nearly 50 co-sponsors in the House, according to Emmer's office.
Recent incidents cited by the congressman include: the March 1 Austin shooting that killed three people and injured over a dozen; the New York City bomb plot involving two suspects who were children of naturalized citizens; the March 12 Michigan synagogue attack; and the Old Dominion University shooting that same day.
The bill would lower the threshold for denaturalization by allowing post-naturalization crimes to be used as evidence of fraudulent initial citizenship applications.
The Bottom Line
The SCAM Act represents the latest Republican effort to tighten citizenship requirements in response to high-profile violent incidents involving naturalized citizens. While the bill has significant Republican support, its path forward remains unclear amid ongoing debates over immigration policy and civil liberties protections.