Zeeland Republican Bill Huizenga introduced the Deport the Terrorists Act to close what he calls a legal loophole shielding naturalized citizens from swift removal after being convicted and serving time for financing, materially supporting or outright committing acts of terror.
“It just seemed wrong to me that we've got someone who has declared an oath to protect and defend the United States, and to leave behind all of their former country's interests. And to violate that, and to not have the ability to say, ‘sorry, you have now forfeited your ability to be a United States citizen?’”
The proposed bill speeds up the process to strip U.S. citizenship from naturalized individuals convicted of terrorism and prioritizes their immediate removal.
Opponents argue this violates 14th Amendment protection for naturalized citizens, and warn that deporting terrorists abroad allows them to freely plot against the U.S.
Huizenga counters that his proposal only speeds up reviews for the most extreme cases.
“This isn't parking tickets. This isn't even serious crimes that aren't terrorism related. This would only be for specifically terrorism related convictions where they have served some amount of time.”
Huizenga cited recent cases, including the March attack on Temple Israel in West Bloomfield.
For a weekly dose of news right to your inbox, sign up for the WGVU newsletter.
