Rep. Nancy Mace has introduced a joint resolution requiring members of Congress, federal judges, and Senate-confirmed officers to be natural-born citizens.
The proposed legislation specifically targets several current representatives including Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), who was born in Somalia and became a naturalized citizen in 2000; Shri Thanedar (D-MI), born in India; and Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), born in India.
According to data compiled by the House Clerk as of May 1, 2026, twenty-six members of the U.S. House of Representatives were born outside the United States, including nineteen Democrats and seven Republicans. In the Senate, six senators—four Democrats and two Republicans—were also born abroad.
Rep. Andy Ogles has stated he would support a ban on foreign-born individuals serving as judges or in Congress and called for halting immigration entirely.
Mace emphasized that the amendment would align the requirements for Congress members with those already mandated for the presidency and vice presidency, stating: “For too long we have allowed foreign-born members to hold seats in this government while making clear their loyalty is not here.”