Expatriate Terrorists Act of 2026
- Bill Number
- H.R. 7958
- Origin Chamber
- House
- Congress
- 119th Congress, Session 2
- Policy Area
- Immigration
- Status
- Introduced
- Latest Action
- 2026-03-17: Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
- Last Updated
- 2026-06-18T20:33:40Z
AI-Generated Summary
Expatriate Terrorists Act of 2026 (H.R. 7958)
Purpose
This legislation amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to treat certain terrorism-related activities as a basis for losing U.S. nationality. It aims to facilitate the denaturalization and deportation of individuals who support terrorism after becoming citizens.
Key Provisions
- Mandatory Detention and Deportation: Expands rules for detaining and removing aliens, including those whose naturalization is revoked or who have relinquished nationality. It adds new deportation grounds for denaturalized citizens.
- Expedited Proceedings: Allows the Secretary of Homeland Security to seek priority court docketing for removal of individuals convicted of terrorism offenses under chapter 113B of title 18, United States Code, with rebuttable presumptions of deportability.
- Additional Denaturalization Grounds: Creates new bases for revoking citizenship for those naturalized after September 30, 1996, who commit, attempt, or support acts of terrorism, or provide material support to designated foreign terrorist organizations.
- Loss of Nationality: Amends rules on renunciation of nationality to include joining, swearing allegiance to, or providing assistance to foreign terrorist organizations, as well as serving in their armed groups under certain conditions.
- Jurisdiction and Authority Shifts: Transfers certain decision-making powers from the Attorney General to the Secretary of Homeland Security and the Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Significant Changes to Existing Law
- Introduces terrorism support as an automatic trigger for denaturalization, effective retroactively to the date of original naturalization.
- Expands the list of acts leading to loss of nationality under section 349(a), including membership or leadership roles in designated foreign terrorist organizations.
- Modifies detention and removal processes to allow concurrent proceedings and prioritization for terrorism-related cases.
- Updates references to foreign entities in nationality loss provisions to explicitly include designated foreign terrorist organizations.
Potential Impacts
- Government Agencies: Increases responsibilities for the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in detention, denaturalization, and removal cases, while shifting some oversight from the Department of Justice.
- Citizens: Affects naturalized U.S. citizens who engage in specified terrorism-related activities by exposing them to loss of citizenship and deportation.
- International Relations: Could influence U.S. interactions with foreign governments or entities linked to designated terrorist organizations through expanded enforcement against supporters.
Main Stakeholders Affected
- Naturalized U.S. citizens involved with or supporting designated foreign terrorist organizations.
- Individuals convicted of terrorism offenses under U.S. law.
- Federal agencies including the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and immigration courts.
- The Board of Immigration Appeals for review of related cases.
Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications
- Raises questions about the process for revoking citizenship based on post-naturalization conduct, potentially affecting due process in denaturalization proceedings.
- Establishes a rebuttable presumption of deportability tied to terrorism convictions, which may streamline but also limit defenses in removal cases.
- Focuses enforcement on activities after 1996, creating a temporal distinction in how naturalized citizens are treated under the law.
This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.
Sponsor
Recent Actions
- 2026-03-17: Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
- 2026-03-17: Introduced in House
- 2026-03-17: Introduced in House
Bill Versions
- Expatriate Terrorists Act of 2026 — issued 2026-03-17 — PDF (8 pages)