SCAM Act
Congress Proposes Stripping Citizenship from Naturalized Citizens Convicted of Fraud or Terrorism
Legislative Progress
Key Points
- Congress is considering a bill that would make it easier for the government to take away the citizenship of people who were not born in the U.S. but became citizens later. This process, known as denaturalization, would apply if a person commits certain serious crimes or acts of fraud shortly after becoming a citizen.
- Under the proposal, the government could take away citizenship if a person joins a terrorist group, works as a spy, or commits a serious crime within 10 years of becoming a citizen. The government would view these actions as proof that the person was not actually of 'good moral character' when they first applied for citizenship.
- The bill also targets people who cheat government programs, like Social Security or local welfare, out of $10,000 or more. If this fraud happens within 10 years of the person becoming a citizen, the government could cancel their citizenship and act as if they were never a citizen at all.
- If a person loses their citizenship under these rules, they would face fast-tracked deportation to be removed from the country. This would apply regardless of how long they have lived in the U.S. or what their legal status was before they became a citizen.
Impact Analysis
Personal Impact
Life & Work
This bill directly targets naturalized citizens by creating new grounds for the government to strip their citizenship. If a naturalized citizen is convicted of fraud against a government program (over $10,000), joins a terrorist organization, or commits an aggravated felony or espionage within 10 years of becoming a citizen, that alone would be treated as proof they were never truly qualified for citizenship. Their citizenship would be canceled retroactively — as if they were never a citizen — and they'd face fast-tracked deportation. This creates a two-tier system where naturalized citizens have fundamentally less secure rights than people born in the U.S.
Programs
Milestones
Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Introduced in House
The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.
Votes
No votes have been recorded for this legislation yet.
News
Sen Schmitt reups push for expanding denaturalization after recent acts of violence by naturalized citizens
Source Information
Document Type
Congressional Bill
Official Title
SCAM Act
Data Sources
Sponsor
Cosponsors
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