PRIA Logo™
119-hr-7958119th Congress

Expatriate Terrorists Act of 2026

Sponsored By: Representative Harrigan, Pat [R-NC-10]

Introduced

Summary

Would expand denaturalization and deportation for people tied to terrorism. This bill would broaden the legal reasons a U.S. national can lose citizenship and would accelerate and prioritize denaturalization and removal for individuals connected to terrorism.

Show full summary
  • Naturalized citizens: It would add membership in or material support for a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization as grounds to revoke naturalization. This includes conduct tied to terrorism or foreign armed groups.
  • Denaturalized people: It would explicitly make denaturalized citizens deportable and create a rebuttable presumption of deportability for certain terrorism convictions. Removal proceedings could run alongside denaturalization, but removals could not be executed until denaturalization is final.
  • Enforcement and courts: It would shift detention authority to the Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Secretary of Homeland Security, create an expedited immigration-court track for convictions under chapter 113B of Title 18, and expand Board of Immigration Appeals review rules.

Personalized for You

How does this bill affect your finances?

Personalize government policy and PRIA will tell you what this bill means for your household, plus every other piece of legislation we track. PRIA reads each provision against your financial profile to show you exactly what matters to your wallet.

Free to download

Bill Overview

Analyzed Economic Effects

3 provisions identified: 0 benefits, 3 costs, 0 mixed.

Fast-track removal for convicted terrorists

If enacted, the bill would let the Secretary of Homeland Security seek mandatory docketing priority in federal district courts for removal of anyone convicted under chapter 113B of title 18 who is also facing denaturalization. Courts would be required to prioritize those cases and a rebuttable presumption of deportability would apply based on that conviction. Removal proceedings could start while denaturalization is pending, but no removal could be carried out until any denaturalization order is final.

Homeland Security runs detentions and removals

If enacted, people who are denaturalized or who relinquished U.S. nationality would be placed in a new deportable category and handled under immigration removal rules. The bill would shift detention and supervisory authority from Department of Justice officials to the Secretary of Homeland Security and the Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The Secretary could decide not to detain someone only if detention was not needed to protect national security or public safety. Courts would review these cases under existing Board of Immigration Appeals rules.

Loss of citizenship for terrorist ties

If enacted, naturalized U.S. citizens who were naturalized after September 30, 1996 would be at risk of losing U.S. citizenship for terrorism-related conduct. This would include committing, attempting, or conspiring to commit terrorism, providing material support or resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization, or to people known to be involved in terrorism. It would also include joining, swearing allegiance to, training with, or serving in leadership or operational roles for a designated terrorist group, and serving in foreign armed groups that fight the United States or intentionally target U.S. nationals. If revoked, a naturalization certificate could be set aside retroactively to the original certificate date.

Sponsors & CoSponsors

Sponsor

Harrigan, Pat [R-NC-10]

NC • R

Cosponsors

There are no cosponsors for this bill.

Roll Call Votes

No roll call votes available for this bill.

View on Congress.gov
Back to Legislation