Steve King, Ted Cruz Unveil Bill To Revoke US Citizenship Of Terrorist Affiliates

Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, left, and Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, pose in front of pheasants following a pheasant hunt in Akron, Iowa, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2013. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik)
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Two arch-conservatives unveiled legislation on Friday to revoke the U.S. citizenship of anyone who seeks to join a group designated by the State Department as a foreign terrorist organization.

The Expatriate Terrorist Act, offered by Rep. Steve King (R-IA) and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), amends the Immigration and Nationality Act so as to deny an American passport to — or strip the existing citizenship of — an individual

whom the Secretary has determined is a member, or is attempting to become a member, of an organization the Secretary has designated as a foreign terrorist pursuant to section 12 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 13 U.S.C. 1189).

“I believe these American terrorists have voluntarily renounced their citizenship upon taking an oath to a foreign terrorist organization (FTO),” King said in a statement.

In a sign that the legislation has legs in Congress, it is co-sponsored by Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), the chair of the Judiciary Committee, which oversees immigration policy.

Greg Siskind, an immigration lawyer based in Tennessee, said it’s “not easy” to lose one’s citizenship but the Immigration and Nationality Act already “has a list of what are called expatriating acts that you can sometimes lose your citizenship for. For instance, being an officer in a foreign army … or treason.”

“I was kind of surprised that serving in a terrorist organization is not already on there,” he said. “Under current rules I don’t think there’s anything you can do to strip them of their citizenship.”

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  1. Can we start with Bill and Ted and their Excellent Adventure shooting birds that somebody tied to the ground so they could hit them?

    There is no room for bird torturers in America.

  2. This wouldn’t be potentially subject to all kinds of political abuse…no no…let’s get out the toboggan, grease it up and get a good runnin’ start at that there slope…

  3. Never anything positive. Always something punitive. Sicko clowns.

  4. Aside from its punitive nature, what is this going to accomplish?

    And why are these “suspects” not given the basic, constitutionally-guaranteed “innocent until proven guilty” protections afforded every suspect under US law?

    This is just political masturbation—which is all either of these two neo-fascist thugs is capable of doing.

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