US Senator’s Bill to End Dual Citizenship May Impact Nigerians Abroad

• Senator Bernie Moreno of Ohio unveiled plans to end dual citizenship in the United States, calling for “exclusive allegiance” to the nation
• His proposed Exclusive Citizenship Act of 2025 would force Americans with foreign citizenship to choose between the two countries
• The move reignited debate over immigration and loyalty, echoing past Republican efforts to tighten citizenship laws

Senator Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, announced plans to introduce legislation on Monday that would end dual citizenship in the United States.

The proposal, called the Exclusive Citizenship Act of 2025, would require Americans with foreign citizenship to choose between the two countries.

According to Fox News Digital, the bill would also mean that any U.S. citizen who seeks foreign citizenship in the future would automatically give up their American citizenship.

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Moreno calls for “exclusive allegiance”

Moreno, who was born in Colombia and later renounced his Colombian citizenship, described his own experience of becoming an American citizen at 18 as a defining moment. He said:

“One of the greatest honors of my life was when I became an American citizen at 18, the first opportunity I could do so.”

He added: “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.”

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Immigration crackdown context

Moreno’s proposal fits into the broader immigration crackdown under President Donald Trump’s administration. While current law allows Americans to hold citizenship both at home and abroad, Moreno argued that dual citizenship creates “conflicts of interest and divided loyalties.”

The legislation would require the State Department and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to establish databases and enforcement rules.

Americans with dual citizenship would be given one year after enactment to either renounce their foreign citizenship through the secretary of state or notify DHS of their intent to give up U.S. citizenship.

Failure to comply within the year would mean automatic loss of U.S. citizenship. Those who relinquish their citizenship would be “appropriately recorded in Federal systems and treated as an alien for purposes of the immigration laws,” according to the bill text.

Previous attempts to end dual citizenship

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This was not the first time lawmakers had tried to dismantle dual-citizenship laws. In recent years, House Republicans pushed measures requiring colleagues to disclose foreign citizenship on candidacy statements or banning dual citizens from serving in Congress.

President Trump previously moved to end birthright citizenship, though those efforts became tied up in court and were not taken up by the Supreme Court. The administration has not yet taken a formal position on dual citizenship.

Moreno’s proposal may face legal hurdles. The Supreme Court addressed the issue of dual citizenship in the 1950s and has upheld its ruling ever since. Legal experts suggested that any attempt to overturn existing protections could face significant challenges in court.

See the X post below:

US president ends birthright citizenship

Legit.ng earlier reported that United States President Donald Trump has signed an executive order seeking to redefine birthright citizenship in the United States.

Signed just hours after his inauguration on January 20, the order seeks to limit automatic citizenship to children born to parents who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents.

Source: Legit.ng