US lawmaker seeks ban on foreign-born Congressmen, judges; faces push back

Washington: A US lawmaker's proposal to prohibit naturalised citizens from serving in Congress, becoming federal judges and holding Senate-confirmed positions was slammed by Democrats as “hateful” and “rooted in racism”.

In a statement posted on social media on Wednesday, the representative for South Carolina's 1st congressional district, Nancy Mace, said she introduced a "long overdue joint resolution" for the constitutional amendment.

"This is the very same standard the president and vice president are already required to meet," she noted.

Mace also posted photographs of Democratic lawmakers Ilhan Omar, Pramila Jayapal and Shri Thanedar along with her post.

While Omar is a Somali American, both Jayapal and Thanedar are of Indian origin.

The move by Mace, though targeted at Democratic lawmakers, could affect more than a dozen members of Congress, including a few Republicans.

"This is not complicated. The people writing America's laws, confirming America's judges, and representing America on the world stage should have one loyalty: America. Not Somalia. Not any other country," Mace said, in a reference to Omar, the Democrat from Minnesota known for her left-leaning views and often the target of conservatives.

The president and vice president are already required to be natural born citizens, and the amendment moved by Mace extends the requirement to Representatives, Senators, federal judges at every level, and all Senate-confirmed officers, including Ambassadors and public Ministers.

"For too long, we have allowed foreign-born members to hold seats in this government while making clear their loyalty is not here. We see it every day. This amendment puts an end to it," Mace said.

In a statement, Jayapal termed the resolution moved by Mace as “hateful”, “insulting to our country’s history,” and “rooted in racism”.

"This narrow-minded, xenophobic legislation has no place in Congress, and I call on all my colleagues — including my Republican colleagues who are naturalised citizens — to condemn this," she said.

Thanedar also condemned Mace.

"Get your drinking problem fixed before coming for those of us who worked hard to come here and contribute," Thanedar said in a social media post.

According to Indian-origin Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthy, Mace’s proposed constitutional amendment to bar naturalised citizens from serving in Congress, on the federal bench, and in Senate-confirmed positions is "morally wrong".

"We must stand shoulder-to-shoulder against the bigotry and hate behind it," he said.

Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici underlined that there are 26 Congress members, including Republicans, who were born in other countries, but Mace only targeted three Democrats who are "progressive people of colour".

"This is racist and hateful," she said, calling on Mace to withdraw her statement and "check her conscience".

The Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, in a social media post, said, "This is just a disgusting excuse to target Democratic Representatives who serve our nation honourably. There is no limit to the hypocrisy.” "DWC Members Omar & Jayapal serve their communities and women across America with heart, dignity, and passion every day. This is hateful, bigoted, and just plain wrong,” the Democratic Women’s Caucus posted on social media.