Senator Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) renewed his push Thursday for legislation to broaden the denaturalization process for naturalized citizens who commit fraud, serious felonies, or join terrorist groups. The renewed effort follows two violent incidents in which naturalized U.S. citizens were involved: a vehicle attack on a Michigan synagogue and a shooting at Old Dominion University in Virginia.
Stop Citizenship Abuse and Misrepresentation (SCAM) Act
Schmitt introduced the Stop Citizenship Abuse and Misrepresentation (SCAM) Act to target individuals who obtained citizenship fraudulently or subsequently committed grave offenses. The senator emphasized the need to denaturalize and deport those “who are here to hurt Americans,” referring also to the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, aimed at tightening voter ID requirements.
The SCAM Act originally came after allegations of citizenship fraud by Somali nationals in Minnesota and stresses that American citizenship is a privilege requiring adherence to constitutional values and moral character. Schmitt stated those who commit felony fraud, serious felonies, or join terrorist organizations shortly after naturalization should be stripped of citizenship as they fail to meet basic requirements.
Recent Violent Incidents Involving Naturalized Citizens
Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, 41, a naturalized citizen originally from Lebanon, drove through Temple Israel in West Bloomfield Township, Michigan, before security officers fatally shot him after his vehicle caught fire. Ghazali entered the U.S. 15 years ago on a family visa and became a citizen in 2016.
Separately, Mohamed Bailor Jalloh, 36, a former Virginia National Guard member naturalized from Sierra Leone, opened fire at Old Dominion University, killing one and wounding two. Jalloh, previously convicted of attempting to support ISIS, reportedly shouted “Allahu Akbar” during the attack and was killed by police.
Earlier this month, Ndiaga Diagne, a naturalized citizen from Senegal, was responsible for a fatal shooting outside an Austin, Texas bar, resulting in three deaths and over a dozen injuries.
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