Steve King, Ted Cruz introduce Expatriate Terrorist Act

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Steve King released the following statement after introducing the Expatriate Terrorist Act (ETA) of 2015. Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) has the companion bill in the Senate. Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) is a co-sponsor of the ETA.

“I believe these American terrorists have voluntarily renounced their citizenship upon taking an oath to a foreign terrorist organization (FTO),” said King. “That is why Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) and I have introduced the Expatriate Terrorist Act (ETA). ETA will fill in these statutory holes that harbor the rights of American terrorists by providing the Secretary of State the legal authority to revoke a terrorist’s passport. ETA will also make it clear that if a national of the U.S., by birth or naturalization, chooses to take an oath or pledge allegiance to a designated foreign terrorist organization; that individual has affirmatively renounced American citizenship. Such individuals who engage in hostilities or commit acts of terror against the United States are demonstrating they no longer uphold their pledge to the United States. Therefore, if a U.S. citizen were to join an FTO, and bomb a school in Israel (after pledging their allegiance to Hamas) they would be eligible to lose their U.S. citizenship, and subsequently have their passport revoked.”

“America continues to suffer the consequences of the failed Obama-Clinton-Kerry foreign policy,” said Sen. Cruz. “From Syria to Iraq to Yemen, it is clear that when America withdraws from the world, the world becomes a more dangerous place. We must take bold action to protect our homeland by declaring that Americans who have traveled abroad to fight with radical Islamic terrorists have renounced their citizenship, and we must preempt any of their efforts to re-enter the country and launch further attacks on Americans.”