Colombian-American Senator Bernie Moreno has proposed legislation at the US Capitol that seeks to restrict dual citizenship within the country.
The proposal, according to the legislator’s statements, stipulates that those who hold an additional foreign nationality must choose between one of their nationalities.
Moreno’s proposal did not go unnoticed in Colombia, where former prosecutor Angelica Monsalve strongly expressed her disagreement.
Monsalvi expressed in a message on his account on the social network X, that “there, Bernardo could never dream of becoming president.”
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In his letter, Monsalvi noted that the legal and political context of the American system prevents naturalized citizens from obtaining American citizenship. Like Moreno, he could aspire to the presidency, stressing that their careers would be limited because they were not born in the country.
Monsalvi, through his account on the social networking site X, also highlighted the difference in treatment between those born in the United States and those who obtain citizenship later.
“The Anglo-Saxon system does not benefit the Colombian Bernardo Moreno, nicknamed “Bernie” among Americans. There, in the United States, Bernardo can never dream of becoming president: the Constitution does not allow a naturalized person with the nickname “Bernie” to reach the White House.”The former prosecutor commented in her post.
He also criticized the contradiction he perceived in Bernie Moreno’s position in promoting restrictions on dual citizenship.
She noted that despite occupying a privileged position, the senator seems to ignore the immigration history that, according to her, characterizes her family and millions of citizens of the United States, who have had the possibility of maintaining contact between two countries thanks to dual citizenship.
“But yes: from the base of his Muisca-Arrey supremacy, he now proposes to abolish dual citizenship… forgetting that millions of families – including his own – arrived as immigrants and built a bridge between the two countries.” commented the former prosecutor.
Concluding her article, Monsalve emphasized that, unlike the situation in the United States, Bernardo Moreno would have the possibility of running for the presidency in Colombia, even though – according to the former prosecutor – he does not show appreciation for his country of origin. In her response to the US parliamentarians, the former prosecutor stated: “Bernardo can aspire to the presidency of Colombia, a country he so despises. On the other hand, Bernie can only aspire to the presidency of the United States in his fantasies.”
Regarding Bernie Moreno’s proposal, the text presented in the US Congress says that citizenship should be based on an exclusive commitment to the country. The document states: “To preserve the integrity of national citizenship, loyalty to the United States must be undivided.”
The initial draft of the initiative stipulates that whoever obtains a second citizenship will have his American citizenship automatically revoked.
During an interview with Fox News Digital, Bernie Moreno noted the personal meaning that obtaining American citizenship carries, saying: “One of the greatest honors of my life was when I became a US citizen at the age of 18, the first opportunity I had to do so.” Likewise, he emphasized that he considered it a privilege to swear allegiance exclusively to the United States.
“Being an American citizen is an honor and a privilege – and if you want to be an American – it’s all or nothing. It’s time to put an end to dual citizenship once and for all,” the Colombian-American lawmaker told the aforementioned media.
If the project known as the Exclusive Citizenship Act of 2025 is introduced to Congress, its provisions will have an impact on thousands of the country’s residents who currently have dual citizenship, a requirement currently permitted by the US legal framework.
According to the text, the responsibility for implementing these regulations falls on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Homeland Security. Affected individuals will have a period of twelve months after the law takes effect to formally notify the Secretary of State of their decision to renounce their other citizenship, or to notify the Department of Homeland Security of their choice to renounce their U.S. citizenship.