Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-MO) introduced the Stop Citizenship Abuse and Misrepresentation (SCAM) Act to expand denaturalization grounds for naturalized citizens committing serious crimes within 10 years of naturalization, specifically including welfare fraud, aggravated felonies, espionage, or affiliating with terrorist organizations.
For context, the bill establishes a 10-year window for revocation and deportation, with a fallback to 5 years if the more extended period is ruled unconstitutional. The bill was written in response to Minnesota’s historic Somali welfare fraud scandal. Schmitt called it a “wake-up call,” and the White House, via Stephen Miller, endorsed it as addressing a historic scandal.
Sen. Eric Schmitt explained, “American citizenship is a privilege, and anyone hoping to be a part of our great nation must demonstrate a sincere attachment to our Constitution, upstanding moral character, and a commitment to the happiness and good order of the United States.”
Building on this point, Schmitt stated, “The rampant fraud uncovered in Minnesota must be a wakeup call… [These immigrants fail] to uphold the basic standards of citizenship. They must be denaturalized because they have proven they never met the requirements for the great honor of American citizenship in the first place. We must protect and restore the institution of American citizenship. No more talk. It’s time for action.”
“People who commit felony fraud, serious felonies, or join terrorist organizations like drug cartels shortly after taking their citizenship oaths fail to uphold the basic standards of citizenship,” he said, adding more context to his bill and why it is necessary, something that many Americans think to be true thanks to the revelations out of Minnesota.
Stephen Miller, White House deputy chief of staff for policy and President Trump’s Homeland Security advisor, applauded the bill. “The Somali fraud scandal is one of the greatest financial scandals in American history,” he noted. He then further added, “All Somali refugees, or any other immigrants, who have committed fraud against the United States must be immediately denaturalized and deported. We applaud Senator Schmitt for his leadership.”
Endorsing the courageous bill, Cooper Smith, Director of Homeland Security and Immigration at the America First Policy Institute decalred, “By expanding the federal government’s authority to pursue denaturalization cases, Senator Eric Schmitt’s “Stop Citizenship Abuse and Misrepresentation Act” (SCAM Act) would restore integrity to a badly abused immigration system by ensuringthat fraud, deception, or violence have no place in the naturalization process,” adding, “Becoming an American is and honor and obligation to be earned, not a status to be exploited.”
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Likewise, Joe Chatham, Director of Government Relations, Federation for American Immigration Reform, was thrilled by the bill.“The Stop Citizenship Abuse and Misrepresentation Act would take bold steps to safeguard the American public from criminal exploitation, defend against national security threats, and ensure that the virtues of U.S. citizenship continue to be protected and preserved,” he wrote.
Concluding his comments, Chatham asserted, “Engaging in serious criminal conduct, fraud, or terrorist activity undermines those principles and warrants immediate, decisive action. FAIR commends Senator Schmitt for introducing this crucial legislation and urges its swift passage in the Senate.”
Watch the Trump Administration expose yet more fraud here: