Congressman Hamadeh Bill Requires Dual U.S. Citizenship Question on Census

WASHINGTON D.C. –You can’t solve a problem until you know just how big it is; that is the reason Congressman Abe Hamadeh (AZ-08) has introduced the Make Allegiances Clear Again Act (MACA Act). The MACA Act seeks to enhance demographic transparency by adding a dual-citizenship question to the U.S. Census. 

“As one of my staff members said the other day, ‘sometimes we must make hard choices in life,’ being American first and only shouldn’t be difficult,” stated Congressman Hamadeh. “It is an honor to be an American citizen and should be treated as such. No other country compares, and no other country should be competing for a U.S. citizen’s loyalty. The American people deserve clarity on divided allegiances—especially at a time when global threats are growing. We are simply asking for honesty.” 

According to the U.S. State Department:

• U.S. law does not impede its citizens' acquisition of foreign citizenship whether by birth, descent, naturalization or other form of acquisition, by imposing requirements of permission from U.S. courts or any governmental agency. If a foreign country's law permits parents to apply for citizenship on behalf of minor children, nothing in U.S. law impedes U.S. citizen parents from doing so.
• U.S. law does not require a U.S. citizen to choose between U.S. citizenship and another (foreign) nationality (or nationalities).  A U.S. citizen may naturalize in a foreign state without any risk to their U.S. citizenship.

“This legislation paves the way for badly needed reforms. I fully support proposals to require Americans with dual citizenship to renounce their foreign allegiances,” stated Congressman Hamadeh.

BACKGROUND

• Although rare, an individual can be penalized and even jailed, for lying on the U.S. census. As per 13 U.S. Code §221, federal law mandates that those over 18 answer census questions.
• The data collected by the decennial census determine the number of seats each state has in the U.S. House of Representatives and is also used to distribute hundreds of billions of dollars in federal funds to local communities.
• The census tells us who we are and where we are going as a nation and helps our communities determine where to build everything from schools to supermarkets, and from homes to hospitals.
• Also known as the Population and Housing Census, the Decennial U.S. Census is designed to count every resident in the United States. It is mandated by Article I, Section 2 of the Constitution and takes place every 10 years.