American citizenship is a gift—and a sacred duty. But some people didn't come here to be Americans. They came to game…

American citizenship is a gift—and a sacred duty. But some people didn't come here to be Americans. They came to game the system and fleece the American taxpayer. That's why I introduced the SCAM Act to expand denaturalization and deportation for scammers. 🧵

To become a U.S. citizen, 8 USC 1427 requires applicants to prove: 1. Good moral character. 2. Attachment to the principles of the Constitution. 3. Being well-disposed to the good order and happiness of the United States. Those standards are non-negotiable. No exceptions.

But many naturalized citizens have proven they never met those standards. Welfare fraud. Espionage. Joining drug cartels and terrorist organizations. Case after case of people exploiting the privilege of American citizenship to betray the country that welcomed them. Enough.

In Minnesota, more than 70 defendants—many of them naturalized citizens—stole at least $250 MILLION from a children's nutrition program. Money for poor kids, stolen by scammers and blown on vacations or wired overseas. americanexperiment.org/feeding-our-fu…

In Massachusetts, multiple naturalized citizens have been charged with and pled guilty to defrauding food stamps and pandemic relief programs. Does that sound like "good moral character"? Or being "well-disposed to the good order and happiness of the United States"?

And it's not just fraud. A naturalized citizen in the U.S. Navy was just sentenced to nearly 17 YEARS for selling military secrets to Communist China. He told a friend it was "quite obviously" espionage—then kept doing it anyway. justice.gov/opa/pr/former-…

In North Carolina, a naturalized citizen pled guilty to trafficking fentanyl, crystal meth, and other drugs with a drug cartel designated as a foreign terrorist organization. Does that sound like someone "attached to the principles of the Constitution"? justice.gov/usao-ednc/pr/c…

In United States v. Ginsberg, SCOTUS made it clear: "No alien has the slightest right to naturalization unless all statutory requirements are complied with." Denaturalization isn't new. It isn't radical. It has deep roots in American law. americafirstpolicy.com/issues/denatur…

Here's what the SCAM Act does: If you commit welfare fraud, an aggravated felony, or espionage—or affiliate with foreign terrorist organizations—after becoming a naturalized citizen, you've proven you never qualified for citizenship, so we will denaturalize and deport you.

The SCAM Act lets the gov't strip these criminals of their illegally obtained citizenship and send them home. It's common sense: if you immediately exploit the privilege of American citizenship to defraud or betray our country, you have proven you were never worthy of the honor.

Most naturalized citizens truly embrace this country. They honor their oath. They contribute to our communities. This bill isn't about them. It's about the shameless few who exploit American generosity—and about restoring integrity to the institution of citizenship.

As Calvin Coolidge said, American citizenship "has been secured only by untold toil and effort. It will be maintained by no other method." We won't let it be debased any longer. Read the full details on the SCAM Act here: schmitt.senate.gov/media/press-re…