Why Banning Dual Citizenship in the USA Is a Horrible Idea in The era of Deportations

Meta Description: Amid historic deportations, Senator Bernie Moreno’s call to ban dual citizenship is legally impossible, economically harmful, and would target millions of U.S.-born citizens. Explore the real human cost and profound constitutional crisis this proposal would unleash.

It is more primitive than torture… and totally at odds with the principles of our government. 

This is not immigration policy. This is a political gesture targeting millions of families who call America home. 

A daughter records her mother at a border airport, tears streaming as they say goodbye after 36 years. The mother, a hardworking taxpayer with no criminal record, is “self-deporting” to escape the fear of ICE raids sweeping her California community. The daughter, a U.S. citizen, holds the camera and a painful question: “Are we even safe as American citizens?”

This story isn’t about an undocumented immigrant. It’s about a U.S. citizen, now contemplating her own future in a country that feels increasingly hostile. It captures the chilling climate into which a radical new idea has been introduced: a proposal to end dual citizenship in the United States.

Ohio Senator Bernie Moreno’s bill would force millions of Americans—both naturalized and born here—to renounce their foreign nationality or risk losing their U.S. citizenship. Framed as national security, legal experts call it unconstitutional, unenforceable, and a cynical political play.

As mass deportation operations separate families and reshape communities, this proposal represents a dangerous escalation. It directly targets the security and identity of millions of American families. This isn’t just policy debate; it’s an assault on the very fabric of a multicultural America, with consequences that would ripple through our economy, our global standing, and our national soul.

The Chilling Proposal: Choosing Between Your Nation and Your Family

According to reports, Senator Moreno’s bill provides a brutal ultimatum to dual nationals.

What the reported proposal demands:

· Forced Renunciation: Individuals holding dual citizenship must formally renounce their foreign nationality.

· Loss of U.S. Status: Failure to renounce would result in the loss of U.S. citizenship.

· No Safeguards: The proposal as reported mentions no due process, no timeframes, and no exemptions for children, refugees, or military families.

This blanket approach ignores a fundamental legal reality: dual citizenship is expressly recognized in U.S. law and policy. The State Department clearly states, “U.S. law does not require a U.S. citizen to choose between U.S. citizenship and another nationality”.

The Real Targets: American Families in Your Community

This isn’t about abstract statistics. It’s about your neighbors. In Senator Moreno’s own state of Ohio, diverse communities are built by dual-national families.

Who in Ohio would be forced to choose?

· Somali and Nepali/Bhutanese Communities: Over 85,000 people in Columbus and Cleveland.

· Ukrainian Families: An estimated 50,000 statewide.

· Mexican & Arab American Communities: Hundreds of thousands with deep roots in Ohio.

For these Americans, a second nationality isn't about disloyalty. It's about practical family life: the right to inherit a parent’s home abroad, access to pensions, or the ability to travel to care for aging relatives. Stripping this away would cause tangible, immediate harm to U.S. citizens.

The Constitutional Wall: Why This Proposal is “Dead on Arrival”

The proposal crashes against decades of Supreme Court precedent that guards U.S. citizenship as a fundamental right.

· Afroyim v. Rusk (1967): The Court held that Congress cannot strip citizenship without the citizen’s voluntary consent.

· Vance v. Terrazas (1980): The government must prove a specific intent to relinquish citizenship, not just the existence of a foreign tie.

· Trop v. Dulles (1958): The Court famously stated that revoking citizenship is a cruel and unusual punishment—"more primitive than torture".

The legal consensus is clear. This bill is symbolic politics, not viable legislation, designed to provoke fear and headlines rather than navigate the legislative process.

Economic Self-Sabotage: Say Goodbye to Silicon Valley and the NBA

Dual nationality is a competitive advantage for the United States, not a liability. Banning it would be an act of profound economic self-harm.

· Technology & Innovation: Landmark American companies are led by dual nationals: Satya Nadella (Microsoft), Sundar Pichai (Google), and Sergey Brin (Google). Nearly half of U.S. PhDs in engineering are foreign-born, many retaining dual citizenship.

· Sports & Entertainment: The NBA and MLB are global leagues filled with dual-national stars. This proposal would throw entire contract and immigration structures into chaos.

· Global Business: For executives, dual citizenship facilitates international deals, supply chain management, and market access. In a globalized economy, forcing America’s talent to cut ties with the world cripples our potential.

The Deportation Era’s Chilling Effect: When Citizens Make a “Plan B”

The proposal emerges in a specific climate: one of historic immigration enforcement where fear is reshaping lives.

The Current Enforcement Landscape:

· Plummeting Border Crossings: Enforcement actions have led to a sharp drop in unauthorized border crossings.

· Surge in Arrests & Detentions: ICE arrests have doubled, and the detained population is at an all-time high.

· Broadening Targets: Enforcement has expanded beyond those with criminal convictions to include individuals with longstanding ties and previously protected statuses.

This atmosphere is already driving a counter-movement. U.S.-born citizens, particularly in Latino communities, are actively seeking dual citizenship as a “Plan B”. They are buying property abroad and securing foreign passports not out of diminished love for America, but out of a prudent fear for their safety and future here. A ban would slam this escape hatch shut, trapping people in anxiety.

The Staggering Ripple Effects: What Would Actually Happen?

If this impossible proposal were ever implemented, the result would be national chaos.

The Government’s Impossible Task:

· Build a federal citizenship registry that doesn't exist.

· Negotiate data-sharing with 190+ foreign governments.

· Create a new bureaucracy and court system to terminate citizenship.

The Human Toll on U.S. Citizens:

· Children could lose U.S. citizenship inherited from parents.

· Elderly retirees could lose access to foreign pensions.

· Families could be permanently divided, unable to reunite with relatives abroad.

· A surge in wrongful deportations of U.S. citizens, a problem already reported under current enforcement.

A Call to Clarity and Courage

Senator Moreno’s proposal is a solution in search of a problem. It attacks a legal, normalized status held by millions of loyal Americans—from tech CEOs to soldiers, from your community doctor to the owner of your favorite restaurant.

It is advanced in an era where the real, brutal costs of deportation are already evident: economic damage, public health crises, and torn communities. This bill would amplify that damage exponentially, targeting citizens themselves.

We must see this for what it is: a political spectacle that betrays American values, ignores our Constitution, and would weaken our nation. The true strength of America has always been its ability to embrace complex identities, turning “both/and” into a national superpower. In a fearful time, we must defend that principle with unwavering clarity. The promise of America must not be reduced to a single, solitary page in a passport.

What are your thoughts on balancing national security with the rights of dual-national citizens? Does the modern economy benefit from globalized identities? Share your perspective in the comments below.