Citizenship Requirements Proposal Strikes Nerve in MAGA-I...

By Khaleda Rahman

National Correspondent

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A bill seeking to eliminate dual citizenship could further inflame tensions between the MAGA movement and Israel.

Republican Senator Bernie Moreno of Ohio this week introduced the "Exclusive Citizenship Act of 2025." The text of the bill states that maintaining foreign citizenship as a U.S. citizen "could create conflicts of interest and divided loyalties."

Jewish advocacy organizations told Newsweek that questioning Americans’ allegiance based on dual nationality is troubling, saying it revives harmful "dual loyalty" accusations that have historically been used to marginalize Jews.

Moreno’s bill comes at a time when some in the MAGA movement have become increasingly critical of Israel over its military actions in Gaza and pushed for the U.S. to stop sending aid, breaking with the Republican Party’s decades-long approach to the U.S. ally.

Others have gone further, with conservative commentator Tucker Carlson calling for U.S. citizens who serve in the Israeli Defense Forces or any another foreign army to be stripped of their U.S. citizenship.

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Why It Matters

If the legislation is enacted, it would mean that someone cannot be a U.S. citizen if they are also a citizen of a foreign country.

While it does not single out Israel, it would affect Americans who hold Israeli citizenship. It’s not clear how many U.S.-Israel dual citizens there are since U.S. law does not require people to declare or register dual citizenship or maintain a registry.

Legal experts have questioned whether the legislation would be constitutional, telling Newsweek that the U.S. Supreme Court held U.S. citizens cannot be stripped of their citizenship unless they willingly surrender it.

What To Know

Moreno, who was born in Colombia but has renounced his Colombian citizenship, said in a statement that "if you want to be an American, it’s all or nothing. It’s time to end dual citizenship for good."

Newsweek has contacted Moreno’s office for further comment via email.

Moreno's bill would prohibit dual or multiple citizenship, establishing that "an individual may not be a citizen or national of the United States while simultaneously possessing any foreign citizenship." It states that no later than a year after the bill is enacted, U.S. citizens who hold foreign citizenship must submit a written renunciation of their foreign citizenship to the secretary of state or a written renunciation of their U.S. citizenship to the secretary of homeland security. Those who fail to "timely comply" with that requirement "shall be deemed to have voluntarily relinquished United States citizenship," it states.

In a statement to Newsweek, Dan Granot, the senior director of government relations at the Anti-Defamation League, said that the legislation invokes an antisemitic narrative.

"Accusations of ‘dual loyalty’ have historically been used against Jews to exclude them from public life and even justify violence, making this trope especially harmful and dangerous," Granot said. "We urge leaders to avoid rhetoric or proposals that invoke this antisemitic narrative."

The "dual loyalty" trope was pushed by white nationalist Nick Fuentes on a recent episode of Carlson’s show, where Fuentes suggested that Jewish Americans might prioritize Israel’s interests over the U.S.

Liora Rez, the executive director of StopAntiSemitism, said the U.S. and Israel are "allied nations bound by shared democratic, Western values, and suggesting that dual citizenship creates divided loyalties is both misguided and incompatible with principles of freedom that define America."

Political analysts believe it is unlikely that Moreno’s bill will garner enough support to pass, but that it risks deepening divisions within the GOP.

"Anyone other than the most fervent purist in the ‘America first and only’ camp would see this as a bridge too far," Grant Davis Reeher, a professor of political science at Syracuse University, told Newsweek.

He added that support for Israel is "a strong tenet of the Republican Party, despite some opposition on the far right, and I don’t see that being seriously threatened."

Still, the increasing anti-Israel sentiment among some on the right could make the issue fraught.

"I suspect this bill could cause MAGA infighting," Stephen Yale-Loehr, a retired professor of immigration law at Cornell University, told Newsweek.

What People Are Saying

Dan Granot, the senior director of government relations at the Anti-Defamation League, said in a statement to Newsweek: "The idea of questioning the loyalty of Americans based on dual citizenship is deeply troubling. Dual citizenship is a lawful and common status that millions of Americans hold, and it does not diminish anyone’s commitment to the United States. Accusations of 'dual loyalty' have historically been used against Jews to exclude them from public life and even justify violence, making this trope especially harmful and dangerous. America’s strength comes from the diverse backgrounds of its people and the cultural and familial perspectives they bring to civic life, all while remaining fully devoted to this country. We urge leaders to avoid rhetoric or proposals that invoke this antisemitic narrative."

Liora Rez, the executive director of StopAntisemitism, said in a statement to Newsweek: "Efforts to end dual citizenship are inherently un-American, as they infringe upon the rights of U.S. citizens and revive dangerous loyalty tests that have historically been used to marginalize Jewish communities."

Senator Bernie Moreno said in a statement: "One of the greatest honors of my life was when I became an American citizen at 18, the first opportunity I could do so. It was an honor to pledge an Oath of Allegiance to the United States of America and ONLY to the United States of America! Being an American citizen is an honor and a privilege—and if you want to be an American, it’s all or nothing. It’s time to end dual citizenship for good."