Senate Judiciary Committee Holds Partisan Hearing on Bill to Denaturalize Naturalized Citizens Convicted of Terrorism or Fraud

" The session focused on the SCAM Act, or Stop Citizenship Abuse and Misrepresentation Act, introduced by House Majority Whip Tom Emmer to strip citizenship from naturalized immigrants convicted of fraud or terrorism. Sen.

U.S. Citizen, said the bill would impose stricter requirements on naturalized citizens than on those born in the United States. "I happen to be the only naturalized citizen sitting on this committee, and I am horrified by the implication that naturalized citizens get second-class citizenship," she said. "As a naturalized citizen, I’m proud of it.

U.S. " Hirono also said the SCAM Act would allow prosecution for welfare fraud in addition to serious crimes committed years after naturalization. "We can talk about people 10 years later who commit murder or heinous acts, but the SCAM Act also allows people to be prosecuted for welfare fraud," she said.

Sen. , responded by defending the measure. "What I'm saying in this bill is if you do those things to the American people, if you take advantage of taxpayers… if you commit a terrorist act, if you commit wholesale welfare fraud, within 10 years, you're damn right we're deporting you," he said.

"If you are convicted in a court of law of these crimes, absolutely we should not only convict you, but we should deport you. " Schmitt cited two cases. He said Mirsad Ramic refused to recite the oath of allegiance at his 2009 naturalization ceremony, instead reciting an Islamic oath and cursing non-Muslims, and later joined the Islamic State terror group.

U.S. citizen previously convicted of providing material support to ISIS. The Trump administration has stated that anti-fraud efforts have uncovered billions of dollars.