Sen. Schmitt renews push to expand denaturalization after violent incidents tied to naturalized citizens
Key Takeaways
- Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) is reviving the Stop Citizenship Abuse and Misrepresentation (SCAM) Act to broaden grounds for denaturalization.
- The move follows a series of alleged violent attacks involving naturalized U.S. citizens in Michigan, Virginia, and Texas.
- Current law largely permits denaturalization only if citizenship was obtained illegally or by material fraud, not for post-naturalization crimes alone.
- The proposal raises due process and civil liberties concerns even as supporters frame it as a public-safety measure.
- No immediate changes for naturalized citizens or applicants; any impact depends on whether Congress advances and enacts the bill.
The proposal and political backdrop
Sen. Eric Schmitt on Thursday renewed his push for the SCAM Act, legislation he says would expand the process to strip citizenship from individuals who commit fraud, serious felonies, or join terrorist organizations. “We must denaturalize those who shouldn’t be here,” Schmitt said on X, adding that after the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act—aimed at requiring proof of citizenship to vote in federal elections—Congress should next pass SCAM to “denaturalize & deport those who are here to hurt Americans.” The SCAM Act was first introduced in January, reportedly in response to allegations of fraud involving Somali communities in Minnesota.
Recent incidents fueling the push
Schmitt’s renewed call followed separate incidents on Thursday involving naturalized citizens. In suburban Detroit, authorities say Ayman Mohamad Ghazali allegedly drove a vehicle into Temple Israel before being shot by security officers; the Department of Homeland Security said he arrived 15 years ago on an immediate relative visa as a U.S. citizen’s spouse and naturalized in 2016. In Norfolk, Virginia, Mohamed Bailor Jalloh—identified by officials as a former Virginia National Guard member previously convicted of attempting to provide material support to ISIS—reportedly shouted “Allahu Akbar” before opening fire at Old Dominion University, killing one and wounding two; he was also killed. Earlier this month in Austin, Texas, a shooting outside a bar by a naturalized citizen, Ndiaga Diagne, allegedly left three dead and more than a dozen injured. Details in these cases are still emerging.
What the law allows today
Under current federal law, denaturalization is generally limited to cases where citizenship was “illegally procured” or obtained through concealment or willful misrepresentation of a material fact (Immigration and Nationality Act §340(a), 8 U.S.C. §1451(a)). Criminal convictions for naturalization fraud (18 U.S.C. §1425) can also lead to automatic revocation (§1451(e)). The Supreme Court has held that false statements must be material—that is, capable of influencing the naturalization decision—to justify denaturalization (Maslenjak v. United States, 2017). Post-naturalization criminal conduct, even serious felonies, typically does not by itself strip citizenship unless tied back to ineligibility or fraud at the time of naturalization. Civil denaturalization cases are brought by the U.S. Department of Justice, and while such cases increased in recent years, they remain relatively rare and are subject to high evidentiary standards and due process protections.
What this means for immigrants now
For naturalized citizens and applicants, nothing changes immediately. USCIS (U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services) continues to adjudicate N-400 naturalization applications under existing statutory “good moral character” rules and security checks. If Congress advances Schmitt’s bill, the scope and definitions—what counts as a “serious felony,” how “joining” a terrorist organization is defined, and whether any changes apply retroactively—will be decisive and closely watched by immigration lawyers. Supporters say the measure would enhance public safety; critics warn it could chill naturalization, increase profiling of immigrant communities, and invite broader government scrutiny of citizens by choice. For now, naturalized citizens retain full constitutional protections, and denaturalization remains an exceptional remedy tied mainly to proven fraud.
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