Expatriate Terrorists Act of 2026
HB7958, titled the “Expatriate Terrorists Act of 2026,” would amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to treat certain terrorism-related conduct as grounds for loss of U.S. nationality, denaturalization, detention, and removal. The bill creates a new deportability category for denaturalized citizens and people who have relinquished nationality, and it directs the Department of Homeland Security to prioritize and, in some cases, expedite removal proceedings for individuals convicted of terrorism offenses or subject to denaturalization proceedings.
The bill also expands the grounds for denaturalization and expatriation. It would allow revocation of naturalization for people who, after naturalizing, commit or materially support terrorism, provide support to designated foreign terrorist organizations, or engage in conduct violating federal material-support statutes. It further adds membership in, allegiance to, or support for a foreign terrorist organization as a basis for denaturalization, and it broadens loss-of-nationality provisions to cover service in or support for terrorist organizations, including leadership, recruiting, training, financial, or logistical roles.
If enacted, the bill would significantly expand federal immigration and nationality law by adding terrorism-related conduct as a basis for denaturalization and deportation, and by creating new procedures for mandatory detention and expedited removal. It would amend multiple sections of the Immigration and Nationality Act, including provisions governing detention, deportability, removal proceedings, naturalization revocation, and loss of nationality. The bill would primarily affect naturalized citizens, noncitizens, and any person alleged to have supported or joined a designated foreign terrorist organization, while shifting more authority to the Secretary of Homeland Security and ICE in these cases.
No committee transcript or vote record is available, so there is no documented floor or committee debate to gauge support or opposition. Based on the bill’s text and title, the measure is framed as a national-security response to terrorism and appears designed to be punitive and preventive. The absence of recorded votes or discussion means the public legislative sentiment cannot be measured from the provided materials, but the bill’s structure suggests an intent to attract support from lawmakers prioritizing counterterrorism and immigration enforcement.
The main points of contention would likely center on due process, constitutional limits, and the breadth of the terrorism-related triggers. The bill presumes deportability for certain terrorism convictions, allows concurrent removal and denaturalization proceedings, and treats post-naturalization conduct as evidence that a person lacked the requisite allegiance at the time of naturalization, which could draw criticism from civil liberties advocates and immigration lawyers. Another likely dispute is the scope of the new grounds for denaturalization and expatriation, especially the inclusion of membership, allegiance, or material support for a foreign terrorist organization and the possibility that the standards could reach conduct short of direct violent acts.