Comunidade portuguesa se opõe ao projeto de lei de cidadania americana

Several Portuguese-Americans have mobilised against a bill proposed by a Republican senator that aims to end dual citizenship in the United States, a measure that would affect millions of people

In an alert sent to the Portuguese community living in the United States, the Portuguese-American Leadership Council (PALCUS) called for action, urging "members and friends" of the Portuguese-American community to contact senators and representatives in Congress and express their rejection of this bill.

"We are writing to urgently draw attention to a recently introduced bill in the Senate that, if approved, would significantly and adversely affect thousands of Portuguese-Americans and other dual citizens in the United States," indicated PALCUS, the only organization representing Portuguese and Portuguese descendants at the national level in the United States.

At issue is a proposed Senate bill titled "Exclusive Citizenship Act of 2025," which would prohibit anyone from simultaneously holding U.S. citizenship and citizenship of another country.

The proposal is authored by Senator Bernie Moreno, a Republican from Ohio, who was born in Colombia but renounced his Colombian citizenship.

According to the bill, individuals currently holding dual citizenship would be required to choose between U.S. citizenship and foreign citizenship within one year.

Failure to comply with this requirement would be considered a voluntary renunciation of U.S. citizenship.

Furthermore, anyone who obtains another citizenship after the law's enactment will automatically lose their U.S. citizenship.

This is not the first time a legislator has attempted to repeal dual citizenship laws in the country, with experts predicting that constitutional and administrative barriers will prevent the proposal from becoming a reality.

Current legislation allows Americans to hold more than one nationality without requiring a person to choose one allegiance over the other. "If approved, this legislation would drastically alter long-standing U.S. policy, which currently allows dual citizenship in most circumstances. It would impose significant pressure on families, businesses, cultural organizations, and all those who maintain strong ties to their heritage and country of origin," warned PALCUS.

Negative effect

"Many in our Portuguese-American community—including several PALCUS members—would be directly and negatively affected," the organization stressed.

The proposed bill would force Portuguese-Americans to renounce "part of their identity, and many would be forced into an impossible choice," it further argued.

Currently, PALCUS is closely monitoring this proposal at the federal level and is preparing to engage with legislators, partner organizations, and community leaders to ensure that Portuguese-American voices are heard throughout the process.

Observing that legislators respond when their constituents voice their opinions in large numbers, PALCUS urged the Portuguese community in the US to contact senators and congressmen elected from their respective constituencies, express opposition to the bill in question, and encourage them to vote against it.

Frank Ferreira, advisor to the Portuguese communities for the Washington constituency, was also one of the Portuguese-American voices that publicly rejected this bill and asked the Portuguese government to oppose it with the Donald Trump administration.

Opposition

"As a proud Portuguese-American, I vehemently oppose the 'Exclusive Citizenship Act of 2025'. The sponsor's argument that 'having dual citizenship creates conflicts of interest and divided loyalties' is, at best, wrong, and, at worst, insulting and unconstitutional," argued Frank Ferreira in a press release sent to Lusa.

"This legislation is divisive, an attack on bilateral relations between Portugal and the United States, and a flagrant violation of constitutional rights defined in US law – which also apply to Portuguese-Americans," he added.

This new proposal could directly affect the American First Lady, Melania Trump, and the president's youngest son, Barron Trump, both of whom hold American and Slovenian citizenship.