United States Senator Bernie Moreno has proposed new legislation, the Exclusive Citizenship Act of 2025, aimed at preventing US nationals from holding dual citizenship.
Under current American laws, citizens may maintain multiple nationalities without renouncing any.
Moreno, who previously gave up his Colombian citizenship, argued that dual citizenship poses “conflicts of interest and divided loyalties.”
He said American citizenship should be treated as “an honor and a privilege,” adding that, “if you want to be an American, it’s all or nothing.”
“It was an honor to pledge an Oath of Allegiance to the United States of America and ONLY to the United States of America.
“America First and America Only. It’s time to end dual citizenship for good,” he wrote on X
If enacted, the bill would affect thousands of dual nationals, including Nigerians. US First Lady Melania Trump, who holds citizenship in both the United States and Slovenia, is also among those who could be impacted.
Data from the US Department of Homeland Security shows that between 2021 and 2023, 38,890 Nigerians were naturalised in the United States, making Nigeria the only African nation to rank among the top 20 countries for naturalisation during the period.
While Nigerian law permits citizens by birth to hold dual nationality, Moreno’s proposal would require Americans to renounce any foreign citizenship to keep their US status.
The development comes months after President Donald Trump issued an executive order seeking to restrict automatic citizenship for children of undocumented immigrants born in the US.
The directive is currently on hold following legal challenges invoking protections under the 14th Amendment.
