Sen. Eric Schmitt wants to make it easier for the U.S. to revoke the citizenship of individuals who defraud the government in response to the Somali-led organizations in Minnesota that used a pandemic program to steal hundreds of millions in taxpayer money.
The Missouri Republican has introduced a bill, called the Stop Citizenship Abuse and Misrepresentation (SCAM) Act, that would expand the grounds on which the government can begin denaturalization proceedings against an immigrant who obtains U.S. 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,” Mr. Schmitt said, citing the standards for naturalization. “The rampant fraud uncovered in Minnesota must be a wake-up call.”
Dozens of people in Minnesota, mostly Somalians, have been convicted of stealing $300 million in taxpayer funding for a pandemic meals program, and federal authorities suspect similar fraud in Medicaid.
The SCAM Act would expand the legal grounds on which the U.S. can seek to revoke a person’s citizenship for violating those standards to include committing substantial welfare fraud, affiliating with a designated foreign terrorist organization or committing an aggravated felony or espionage within 10 years of naturalization.
“They must be denaturalized because they have proven they never met the requirements for the great honor of American citizenship in the first place,” Mr. Schmitt said. “We must protect and restore the institution of American citizenship. No more talk. It’s time for action.”
President Trump’s deputy chief of staff, Stephen Miller, endorsed the bill.
“The Somali fraud scandal is one of the greatest financial scandals in American history,” he said. “ All Somali refugees, or any other immigrants, who have committed fraud against the United States must be immediately denaturalized and deported. We applaud Senator Schmitt for his leadership.”
Mr. Trump has called for Rep. Ilhan Omar, Minnesota Democrat, to be deported or imprisoned, saying she “knows everything there is to know” about the fraudulent operations in Minnesota.
Ms. Omar, Minnesota Democrat, is a naturalized American citizen who immigrated to the U.S. as a Somalian refugee when she was a child. She has not been linked to any Somali-led cases of fraud in Minnesota.
• Lindsey McPherson can be reached at lmcpherson@washingtontimes.com.
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