Congress moves to strip citizenship from naturalized Americans convicted of terrorism offenses, with
H.R. 8341 — DEPORT Act of 2026 · Filed by Riley Moore (R-WV) · 15 cosponsors · Introduced Apr 16, 2026 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill creates a new terrorism attestation requirement for naturalization applicants, requiring them to swear under oath that they have not been convicted of terrorism-related offenses and do not intend to commit them. It also allows the government to revoke citizenship of people already naturalized if they are later convicted of terrorism offenses, even decades after naturalization, with no statute of limitations. Once denaturalized, such persons become deportable and permanently barred from re-entry.
Why we flagged it
The bill's operative mechanism is a dual-track system: (1) a prospective attestation requirement for new naturalization applicants, and (2) retroactive denaturalization authority for people already naturalized, with broad evidentiary standards and presumptions favoring the government. The title accurately describes the function, but the scope and retroactive reach are the substantive story.
What the text implies
- Naturalized citizens face permanent legal vulnerability to denaturalization based on convictions occurring decades after naturalization, with no statute of limitations—a status not shared by natural-born citizens, creating a two-tier citizenship system.
- The bill allows civil denaturalization proceedings based on classified evidence reviewed only by the court in camera and ex parte, limiting the defendant's ability to see or contest the full case against them, even in a civil proceeding.
The full analysis lists 5 implications of this text.
Who it affects
The bill creates a legitimate security screening mechanism for new citizens by requiring attestation about terrorism convictions and intent—a reasonable public-safety measure. However, it also grants the government broad power to retroactively strip citizenship from people already naturalized based on convictions occurring years or decades later, with presumptions that shift the burden of proof to the defendant and allow civil denaturalization proceedings based on classified evidence the defenda