Sen. Eric Schmitt has renewed his push for the Stop Citizenship Abuse and Misrepresentation Act after a string of violent attacks by naturalized citizens, arguing the law would expand denaturalization for fraud, serious felonies, or ties to terrorist organizations. The push came as authorities reported separate incidents—a vehicle ramming at a Michigan synagogue and a classroom shooting in Virginia—alongside other recent violent episodes involving naturalized citizens. Schmitt ties the effort to broader Republican priorities on vetting and the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, saying stronger rules protect citizens and the integrity of American citizenship.
Schmitt brought the SCAM Act back into the spotlight after the West Bloomfield Township attack in Michigan, where Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, 41, allegedly rammed his vehicle into Temple Israel before the car caught fire and he was shot and killed by security officers. Ghazali came to the U.S. 15 years ago on an immediate relative visa as the spouse of a U.S. citizen and was naturalized in 2016, according to officials. That sequence—legal arrival, naturalization, then violent action—has been central to Schmitt’s argument for tougher denaturalization tools.
In Virginia, authorities say the Old Dominion University gunman, Mohamed Bailor Jalloh, 36, opened fire in a classroom, killing one student and wounding two others before officers stopped him. Jalloh had served in the Virginia National Guard from 2009 until his honorable discharge in 2015 and had a previous conviction tied to attempting to offer material support to the Islamic State. Reports say the shooter shouted “Allahu Akbar” as he carried out the attack, and he was killed at the scene.
Another recent tragic episode in Austin saw a naturalized citizen, Ndiaga Diagne, 53, suspected in a bar shooting that left multiple people dead and many injured. Those incidents, when taken together, are presented by supporters of Schmitt’s bill as evidence that denaturalization needs clearer teeth and faster legal paths when someone proves unfit or dangerous after swearing the oath. Republicans argue this isn’t about targeting immigrants broadly, but about protecting citizens and the sanctity of naturalization.
Schmitt originally introduced the SCAM Act in January amid allegations of fraud by Somalians in Minnesota, and he’s been clear about the standard he wants applied to citizenship. “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,” he said at the time. That language frames the bill as enforcing the moral and legal expectations tied to citizenship.
He has also emphasized who should be excluded from that honor. “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,” the lawmaker added. “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.”
Schmitt connected the denaturalization push to another Republican priority, writing in public comments that, “After the SAVE America Act, we must pass the SCAM Act so we can denaturalize & deport those who are here to hurt Americans,” and urging lawmakers to act. The SAVE America Act, as he references it, aims to tighten voter eligibility by requiring proof of citizenship in federal elections, which his allies see as a companion to any effort that defends naturalization standards. For conservative lawmakers and voters who favor stricter vetting, the SCAM Act is a natural extension of those concerns and a demand for accountability when citizenship rules are abused.
