Rep. Pat Harrigan (R., N.C.) and Sen. Ted Cruz (R., Texas) want the government to be able to deport individuals who “become U.S. citizens and then turn against this country by committing or supporting terrorism.”
The duo introduced legislation, obtained exclusively by the Washington Reporter, in the wake of Islamic terrorist attacks in Texas, New York, Virginia, and Michigan, “each tied to individuals who had gained access to this country through our immigration system,” Harrigan’s office noted.
“Current law makes it nearly impossible to strip citizenship from individuals who turn around and support or commit terrorism,” Harrigan told the Reporter. “That is unacceptable.”
He and Cruz want to change that. Their legislation, Harrigan explained, will fix that “by expanding the grounds for denaturalization, eliminating the intent requirement, and mandating immediate detention and deportation once citizenship is revoked. If you come to this country, take the oath, and then side with terrorists, you have forfeited your right to be here.”
Harrigan’s office explained that this legislation makes it clear “that citizenship is not a shield for those who betray it. The bill establishes that individuals who commit, attempt to commit, or materially support terrorism, or who join or assist designated foreign terrorist organizations, can be denaturalized and treated as deportable.”
The bill also, Harrigan’s office notes, “creates a presumption of deportability for convicted terrorists, allows removal proceedings to move forward alongside denaturalization, and requires courts to prioritize these cases. It also mandates detention for individuals subject to removal on terrorism grounds, ensuring they are not released back into American communities while their cases are pending.”
Republican lawmakers are increasingly looking at ways to deport and denaturalize individuals who they view as abusing the American immigration system. Sen. Tom Cotton (R., Ark.) recently introduced legislation, obtained exclusively by the Reporter, that would allow for the denaturalization of felons and terrorists.
