Debate Over Foreign-Born Americans Serving in Congress

Representative Ilhan Omar, from Minnesota, seemed unconcerned about the proposed resolution from the GOP. The resolution aims to prevent individuals born outside of the U.S. from serving in Congress. In response to inquiries about this legislation, Omar remarked, ‘Good luck to her’.

Representative Nancy Mace, from South Carolina, introduced this amendment on Wednesday. It requires Congress members, federal judges, and Senate-confirmed officers to be natural-born citizens. This follows the same standard applied to the presidency and vice presidency.

Omar, born in Somalia and a naturalized citizen since 2000, was highlighted by Mace on the social media platform X. Mace mentioned Omar alongside Shri Thanedar and Pramila Jayapal, emphasizing their foreign origin and questioning their loyalty to America.

The current statistics show 26 members of Congress are not natural-born citizens. Among them, 19 belong to the Democratic Party, while seven are Republicans. Omar expressed no concern about the resolution’s chances of success.

Rep. Mace argued for the necessity of natural-born citizens holding positions of power in the government. She believes foreign-born members declare their lack of loyalty to America daily.

Changing the Constitution requires a rigorous process, including a two-thirds approval from both the House and Senate and ratification by three-fourths of the states.

The proposal has not yet received backing from significant GOP leaders or co-sponsors.

Another legislative proposal, the ‘Disqualifying Dual Loyalty Act’ by Rep. Randy Fine from Florida, calls for banning members with dual citizenship. Individuals would need to renounce their foreign citizenship to serve in Congress.

Regarding this bill, Omar noted, ‘Who’s that?’ when asked about Fine’s proposal. Fine asserts that allegiance should be solely to America for those serving in Congress.

Fine’s legislation has not seen significant progress and remains in the House Committee on the Judiciary.

It’s a fair argument to say you can only swear allegiance to one country, and if you’re in Congress, that allegiance should be to America.

Hannah Brennan, a Digital Production Assistant on the Politics team, previously interned at the Aspen Daily News. She graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder with high distinction in December 2025 and joined Fox News Digital in January 2026.