Deport the Terrorists Act of 2026
HB9096, titled the "Deport the Terrorists Act of 2026," would amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to require denaturalization of any naturalized U.S. citizen convicted of a terrorism-related offense. The bill directs the court handling the conviction to revoke the person’s naturalization order, cancel the certificate of naturalization, and void the grant of citizenship. It defines terrorism-related offenses by reference to several federal criminal statutes, including offenses involving terrorism, material support, and related attempts or conspiracies.
The bill also amends the deportability provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act to make any alien convicted of a terrorism-related offense deportable. In addition, it instructs the Secretary of Homeland Security to prioritize removal of any person denaturalized under the new provision. As drafted, the measure would create a more direct statutory path from terrorism-related conviction to loss of citizenship for naturalized citizens and removal from the United States.
If enacted, HB9096 would significantly expand federal immigration consequences for terrorism-related convictions by linking them to automatic denaturalization for naturalized citizens and mandatory deportation priority. It would amend sections of the Immigration and Nationality Act, including the denaturalization provision at 8 U.S.C. 1451(e) and the deportability ground at 8 U.S.C. 1227(a)(4)(B), and would affect naturalized citizens, noncitizen defendants, federal courts, and the Department of Homeland Security.
The available context shows no committee transcript or recorded vote, so there is no documented debate or formal vote history to gauge support or opposition. Based on the bill text and title, the measure is framed as a public-safety and counterterrorism bill, suggesting an intent to appeal to concerns about national security and punishment for terrorism-related conduct.
The main points of potential contention are the bill’s use of denaturalization as a penalty and its automatic linkage between conviction and loss of citizenship. Critics could question due process, proportionality, and whether citizenship revocation should follow conviction in this categorical manner, while supporters are likely to argue that people convicted of terrorism-related offenses should not retain the benefits of naturalization. Another possible issue is the breadth of the incorporated terrorism-related offenses, including attempts and conspiracies, which could be viewed as either necessary for security or overly expansive.