A newly introduced bill, the Exclusive Citizenship Act of 2025, has sparked significant debate by proposing a fundamental change to U.S. nationality law. The bill would require U.S. citizens to hold only American citizenship, effectively banning dual citizenship.

If enacted, the law would force individuals who currently hold U.S. citizenship alongside another nationality to make a choice: retain U.S. citizenship or keep their foreign nationality. Continuing to hold dual citizenship after the law’s effective date would become unlawful.

However, it is unclear whether the proposal would withstand judicial review. Longstanding U.S. Supreme Court precedent established that American citizens may not be involuntarily stripped of their citizenship. This constitutional protection makes the bill highly vulnerable to legal challenges likely be blocked by the courts.

The bill also faces immense practical obstacles. The United States does not maintain a centralized system to track whether U.S. citizens also hold foreign citizenship. Implementing such a system would require new administrative structures and cooperation from foreign governments, something the U.S. cannot legally compel.

Moreover, nationality laws are determined by each country independently and some nations do not allow their citizens to renounce nationality at all, while others impose complex, lengthy procedures that can take years to complete. As a result, many dual citizens could find themselves unable to comply with the proposed law even if they wished to.

Enforcement is another fundamental issue. In the absence of reliable international data sharing, and with many countries restricting or prohibiting disclosure of citizenship information, effective enforcement would be unlikely without extensive international cooperation.

The proposal also has significant social and diplomatic implications. Millions of Americans, including naturalized citizens, Americans living abroad, and children of immigrants, could be affected and it raises fundamental concerns about multicultural identity and transnational family ties. Internationally, the measure could place strain on diplomatic relations, particularly with countries that reject or prohibit forced renunciation of citizenship.

In summary, although the bill aims to make U.S. citizenship “exclusive,” it presents serious constitutional and practical obstacles. Its ability to withstand judicial review and to be meaningfully enforced is doubtful. Even if enacted, the measure risks leaving millions of Americans in prolonged uncertainty about their citizenship status.