Washington, D.C. (July 8, 2025) – A Center for Immigration Studies report released today calls for a bright-line rule, formalized in federal law, banning holders of dual citizenship from accessing classified U.S. information.

For much of American history, dual citizenship was seen as dangerous, and the federal government worked to restrict the practice. Today's mass immigration and global connectivity bring renewed risks, and current clearance processes fail to consistently address them.

Nick Pietrowicz, an attorney at the U.S. Department of State and author of the report, urges Congress to act now to codify this suggested protection of classified material. He recommends one caveat – the law should be drafted narrowly enough to allow dual citizens to renounce foreign citizenship if they aspire to work in the national security sector.

Key points in “Pick a Side: Prohibit dual citizens from access to classified information”:

• Longstanding security concerns: As early as 1795 with the Naturalization Act, the U.S. mandated complete renunciation of foreign allegiances to become citizens.
• Importance of assimilation: At the turn of the century a surge of immigrants arrived in the U.S. and the importance of assimilating these newcomers grew, so the rejection of dual citizenship continued.
• Loyalty concerns: During both world wars dual citizenship invoked questions of loyalty.
• Dual citizenship de facto legalized: A series of Supreme Court decisions in the 1960s overturned the protections against dual citizenship, effectively legalizing it.
• Modern vulnerabilities: Global communication, travel, and financial flows, combined with the resumption of mass immigration in the wake of the 1965 changes to the immigration law, have heightened foreign influence and loyalty risks.
• Adjudicative inconsistencies: Key national security agencies employ case-by-case clearance reviews by adjudicators for employees from some countries, creating inconsistency and political pressure.

Recommendations:

• Enact a bright-line statutory ban: Deny security clearances to dual citizens unless they renounce foreign nationality. Apply the ban across all federal employees.
• Suggested pathway to legislative change: A 2023 bill authored by Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) – that would require newly elected Members of Congress to disclose dual citizenship or face a fine – offers a political path to also compel federal employees with access to classified information to hold solely American citizenship.