Republican Representative Nancy Mace has introduced a joint resolution aiming 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 lawmaker argued that those in high government positions should be natural-born citizens to ensure undivided loyalty to the United States.
Currently, only the president and vice president are required to be natural-born citizens under the Constitution. Mace's proposal would extend this requirement to other top federal roles, though amending the Constitution requires approval from two-thirds of both chambers of Congress and ratification by three-quarters of state legislatures.
Mace specifically criticised Democratic Representative Ilhan Omar, a Somali-born lawmaker, stating that foreign-born members have shown their loyalty lies elsewhere. This is not the first time Mace has targeted Omar; in September, she suggested Omar should be deported, prompting a sharp response from the Minnesota Democrat.
Mace, who is running for governor of South Carolina, has a history of controversial behaviour. In February 2025, she shouted an anti-trans slur during a hearing, and in April, she was involved in a heated exchange in a cosmetics store. An airport incident in October led to an investigation, though her office claimed exoneration.
Despite her stance on citizenship requirements, Mace has occasionally broken with President Donald Trump, including voting to release the Epstein files and opposing US military action in Iran.
