Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) unveiled legislation Wednesday aiming to ban foreign-born US citizens from serving in Congress and other high levels of the federal government.
The South Carolina congresswoman singled out Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), Shri Thanedar (D-Ill.) and Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) in announcing her joint resolution to add an amendment to the US Constitution that would prohibit naturalized US citizens from becoming federal judges, holding Senate-confirmed positions or serving in the House or Senate.
“All born in foreign countries, none were citizens by birth. All sitting in the United States Congress. All making clear every single day their loyalty is not to America,” Mace said of the trio of Democratic reps.
Mace noted the proposed amendment would impose the “very same standard the President and Vice President are already required to meet” on lawmakers and top government officials.
“The people writing America’s laws, confirming America’s judges, and representing America on the world stage should have one loyalty: America. Not any other country,” she argued.
“For too long we have allowed foreign-born members to hold seats in this government while making clear they are America last, not America first,” Mace added. “We see it every day.
“This constitutional amendment will put an end to it.”
Twenty-six House members, including 19 Democrats and seven Republicans, were born outside of the US.
In the upper chamber, six senators – four Democrats and two Republicans – were born outside the US.
Mace’s resolution faces long odds of becoming law, as it must pass both chambers of Congress by a two-thirds vote and be ratified by three-fourths of state legislatures.
Jayapal, who was born in India and became a US citizen in 2000, slammed the proposal as “narrow-minded” and “xenophobic.”
“Instead of working to help the American people, as so many cannot keep the lights on, keep food on the table, or pay their rent, Nancy Mace is instead introducing racist legislation that denies the very history of a country that has been proudly shaped by immigrants,” she said in a statement. “This is also insulting to the hundreds of thousands of constituents who elected naturalized citizens into office.”
“With the exception of Native Americans, every person in this country – including Nancy Mace – is descended from immigrants,” Jayapal continued. “And America is made stronger by the people from across the world with diverse talents who come here to live and work.”
Jayapal called her colleagues, including Republicans “who are naturalized citizens,” to condemn the proposed amendment.
Thanedar, who was also born in India and became a US citizen in 1988, mocked Mace’s announcement in a social media post accusing the congresswoman of having a “drinking problem” and forcing her staff to vote her the “hottest” member of Congress.
“I’m introducing a resolution to ban congressmembers who make their staff vote for them as the ‘Hottest’ Woman in Congress from holding office,” Thanedar wrote on X.
“Get your drinking problem fixed before coming for those of us who worked hard to come here and contribute,” he added.
Omar, who was born in Somalia and naturalized as a US citizen in 2000, did not respond to The Post’s request for comment.
