Census to track dual citizens by country, creating federal registry
H.R. 6486 — MACA Act · Filed by Abraham Hamadeh (R-AZ) · 1 cosponsor · Introduced Dec 5, 2025 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill requires the U.S. Census Bureau to add a question to the decennial census (starting in 2030) asking households whether any member holds dual citizenship with another country, and if so, which country. The bill amends federal census law to make this question mandatory in all future decennial censuses.
Why we flagged it
The bill's sole operative function is to amend census law to require collection of dual-citizenship data. It is a straightforward procedural amendment to the decennial census questionnaire, not a policy change to citizenship law itself.
What the text implies
- Creates a permanent federal database of dual citizens indexed by country, potentially enabling future targeting, visa revocation, or security screening based on foreign citizenship status.
- May chill voluntary disclosure: respondents aware of the data collection may refuse to answer or provide false information, reducing census accuracy.
The full analysis lists 4 implications of this text.
Who it affects
The bill creates transparency by collecting citizenship data that may inform policy and public understanding, but it also establishes a federal registry of dual citizens that could enable targeting, discrimination, or surveillance of a specific population. The civic benefit of transparency is offset by the privacy and civil-liberties cost of creating a government inventory of citizens' foreign allegiances.