Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) has proposed a constitutional amendment that would prohibit anyone born in “foreign countries” from serving as a Congress member, federal judge, or Senate-confirmed officer. “Ilhan Omar. Shri Thanedar. Pramila Jayapal. All born in foreign countries, none were citizens by birth. All sitting in the United States Congress. All making clear every single day their loyalty is not to America,” Mace said. “We just introduced a long overdue joint resolution proposing a constitutional amendment to require Members of Congress, federal judges, and Senate-confirmed officers to be natural born citizens. This is the very same standard the President and Vice President are already required to meet. The people writing America’s laws, confirming America’s judges, and representing America on the world stage should have one loyalty: America. Not any other country,” she continued. “For too long we have allowed foreign born members to hold seats in this government while making clear they are America last, not America first. We see it every day. This constitutional amendment will put an end to it,” she added. Ilhan Omar. Shri Thanedar. Pramila Jayapal. All born in foreign countries, none were citizens by birth. All sitting in the United States Congress. All making clear every single day their loyalty is not to America. We just introduced a long overdue joint resolution proposing a… pic.twitter.com/jTTKyr5Sgb — Rep. Nancy Mace (@RepNancyMace) May 20, 2026 More from Mace’s office: Several foreign born lawmakers currently holding power in this government have made clear their loyalties do not lie with the American people. Ilhan Omar is a prime example of why this amendment is necessary. She allegedly committed marriage and immigration fraud to get her brother into this country, is tied to millions in a Somali fraud case in her own state, and has made comments publicly about how she is “Somalia first.” She has spewed hate towards law enforcement officers keeping innocent Americans safe, did not know how many World Wars have been fought, and has stood on American soil and said the United States is turning into one of the worst countries in the world. “Ilhan Omar is just one of many foreign born members of this government who have made clear, time and again, their loyalty is not here,” added Mace. “The American people deserve leaders who put America first. This amendment closes a gap in our Constitution long overdue for closing.” “If you hold power in the American government, you should be a natural born American citizen,” Mace said. “This is not complicated. The people writing America’s laws, confirming America’s judges, and representing America on the world stage should have one loyalty: America. Not Somalia. Not any other country. For too long we have allowed foreign born members to hold seats in this government while making clear their loyalty is not here. We see it every day. This amendment puts an end to it,” she added. If ratified, the amendment would take effect as follows: Representatives: January 3rd of the first odd-numbered calendar year following ratification Senators: January 3rd of the first odd-numbered calendar year following ratification, and applies to sitting senators when the term they were elected to expires Federal Judges: Six months following ratification Ambassadors and Senate-confirmed Officers: Six months following ratification “There are 26 members of Congress who are naturalized U.S. citizens, including 19 Democrats and seven Republicans,” The Hill stated. Rep. Nancy Mace targets naturalized lawmakers with a constitutional amendment: 'For too long we have allowed foreign-born members to hold seats in this government, while making clear their loyalty is not here. We see it every day.' The proposal would affect more than a dozen… pic.twitter.com/0qXFiwuvB9 — Fox News Politics (@foxnewspolitics) May 20, 2026 The Hill noted: Jayapal responded to the proposal, calling it “racist legislation that denies the very history of a country that has been proudly shaped by immigrants.” “This narrow-minded, xenophobic legislation has no place in Congress,” she wrote in a statement, “and I call on all my colleagues — including my Republican colleagues who are naturalized citizens — to condemn this.” The Washington Democrat, who was born in India, recalled the moment she became a U.S. citizen. “My naturalization ceremony was one of the most meaningful days of my life. 26 years later, I have never forgotten that day as I stood with hundreds of people from across the world who had waited, in many cases decades, to become American citizens,” she said. “This was a profound moment, as I felt the pride of my American citizenship.”