Tennessee Representative Andy Ogles is pushing Congress to rethink the legal finality of American citizenship, introducing legislation that would authorize the federal government to strip naturalization from individuals convicted of serious crimes within ten years of becoming citizens — a proposal that marks one of the most aggressive efforts in recent years to restructure who can permanently belong in the United States.
The bill, titled the Remigration Act, was introduced as a discussion draft and has not yet been assigned a House number. Its central provision would require the Department of Homeland Security to revoke naturalized citizenship for anyone convicted of an aggravated felony, government-benefits fraud, material support for a designated foreign terrorist organization, or certain other serious federal offenses within a decade of naturalization. Those stripped of citizenship would be placed in removal proceedings.
“America is not a dumping ground for criminals, terrorists, fraudsters, or people who hate our country,” Ogles said. “If you abuse our generosity, break our laws, or threaten our people, you should be sent home.”
The bill reaches beyond denaturalization. It would end birthright citizenship for children of illegal aliens, terminate nonimmigrant status for individuals convicted of serious crimes, and revoke certain immigration benefits for nationals from countries the government designates as high-risk.
One provision would make any alien deportable for anti-American statements or affiliations the government determines threaten national security or public safety.
A new DHS task force would be created under the bill to review every asylum grant, refugee admission, and adjustment of status approved between January 20, 2021, and January 20, 2025 — effectively subjecting four years of immigration decisions made under the prior administration to fresh scrutiny.
The bill also overhauling naturalization’s English-language requirement. Current law requires applicants to read, write, and speak ordinary English. The Remigration Act would replace that standard with a requirement to demonstrate functional English literacy through a standardized assessment.
Ogles framed the legislation as a restoration of meaning to the naturalization process itself.
“Citizenship should mean something. Assimilation should mean something,” he said. “This bill puts Americans first and restores sovereignty to our immigration system.”
The Remigration Act is the latest in a series of sweeping immigration proposals Ogles has introduced this Congress.
Earlier this year he introduced the ASSIMILATION Act, an 83-page overhaul that would end chain migration, eliminate the diversity visa lottery, and impose stricter vetting requirements across multiple immigration categories.
