Republican Representative Nancy Mace has introduced a joint resolution seeking to amend the US Constitution to bar foreign-born citizens from serving as federal judges, members of Congress, and Senate-confirmed officials. The South Carolina congresswoman described the proposal as 'long overdue' in a press release on Wednesday.
Under current constitutional provisions, only the president and vice president are required to be natural-born citizens. Mace argued that those writing America's laws and representing the country on the world stage should have undivided loyalty to the United States. Amending the Constitution would require approval from two-thirds of both chambers of Congress and ratification by three-quarters of state legislatures.
More than two dozen foreign-born lawmakers currently serve in Congress, including Democratic Representatives Pramila Jayapal, Shri Thanedar, and Ilhan Omar. Mace specifically referenced Omar, a Somali-born Minnesota Democrat, stating that such individuals have demonstrated their loyalty lies elsewhere. Mace had previously called for Omar's deportation in a social media exchange.
Mace, who is running for South Carolina governor, has a history of controversial incidents. In February 2025, she shouted an anti-trans slur during a congressional hearing, and in April she was filmed yelling at a man in a cosmetics store. An airport altercation in October led to a police investigation, though her office described the report as a 'full exoneration'.
Despite her stance on this issue, Mace has broken with President Donald Trump on several matters, including voting to release the Epstein files and opposing the deployment of US troops to Iran, stating she would not send South Carolina's sons and daughters to die for the price of oil.
