Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) has introduced a constitutional amendment requiring all members of Congress, federal judges, and Senate-confirmed officials to be natural-born U.S. citizens. In her statement, Mace emphasized that “the people writing America’s laws, confirming America’s judges, and representing America on the world stage should have one loyalty: America—not any other country.”

Mace cited Ilhan Omar as a prime example of why the amendment is necessary, noting that Omar—born in Somalia—has repeatedly affirmed her allegiance to “Somalia first” while allegedly committing marriage and immigration fraud to secure her brother’s entry into the United States. She further stated Omar is tied to millions in a Somali fraud case within her home state, has spewed hate toward law enforcement protecting Americans, lacks knowledge of U.S. military history, and has publicly claimed the nation is “turning into one of the worst countries.”

“The American people deserve leaders who put America first,” Mace asserted. “This amendment closes a gap in our Constitution long overdue for closing.”

The proposal targets 26 members of Congress who are naturalized U.S. citizens, including 19 Democrats and seven Republicans. In response, Pramila Jayapal, the Washington Democrat born in India, condemned the effort as “racist legislation that denies the very history of a country shaped by immigrants,” calling it “narrow-minded” and urging colleagues to reject the bill.

Mace reiterated: “If you hold power in the American government, you should be a natural born American citizen.” If ratified, the amendment would take effect immediately, ending what she described as decades of foreign-born officials holding seats while asserting loyalties beyond the United States.