Rep. Anna Paulina Luna is calling for mandatory disclosure of dual citizenship among members of Congress, arguing that undisclosed foreign national ties could raise national security concerns as federal investigators examine allegations involving Rep. Ilhan Omar.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., is renewing calls for members of Congress to disclose whether they hold citizenship in another country, arguing that Americans should know about potential foreign allegiances among elected officials who handle sensitive national security information. Her comments followed a federal search of Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar’s Washington, D.C., residence Monday, October 12, during an ongoing criminal investigation.
During a Fox News interview on “The Will Cain Show”, Luna said congressional disclosure requirements should extend beyond existing financial and foreign lobbying regulations to include information about whether lawmakers possess dual citizenship. She identified Republican Reps. Kat Cammack of Florida and Randy Fine of Florida as supporters of efforts to increase transparency about lawmakers’ citizenship status.
The Florida Republican argued that foreign citizenship could create questions about competing national obligations, particularly during international conflicts or when lawmakers receive access to classified information. Her proposal would require disclosure of such status, although she did not outline specific legislative language or enforcement provisions during the interview.
The discussion began when host Will Cain asked Luna about federal agents searching Omar’s residence earlier that morning.
“Let’s start with your colleague, Congresswoman Ilhan Omar,” Cain said. “What do you make of this raid this morning on Ilhan Omar’s residence in D.C.?”
Luna responded by criticizing what she described as inconsistent accountability standards for members of Congress. She said any substantiated wrongdoing should be addressed through legal proceedings while connecting the investigation to her broader interest in disclosure requirements.
“Look, members of Congress, it seems like, for a long time have been held to a different standard. And if these allegations are true, then it needs to be dealt with legally. But, ultimately, well, this is exactly why myself, members like Kat Cammack, even Randy Fine have pushed for there to be a disclosure, at least for people to know whether or not members of Congress are dual citizens. We see that El-Sayed in Michigan is currently apparently a citizen of Egypt as well. And that’s something that I don’t think many Americans realize is a very big national security threat in the House of Representatives. But this also gets into bigger conversation on disclosures in general specifically pertaining to FARA.”
Luna’s reference to FARA concerned the Foreign Agents Registration Act, a federal law requiring certain individuals and organizations acting on behalf of foreign principals to disclose their relationships, activities and associated financial information.
The law is designed to provide transparency about foreign influence efforts in the United States. It does not automatically classify people with dual citizenship as foreign agents, nor does citizenship in another country independently establish that an individual is acting under foreign government direction.
Luna has previously supported changes to foreign influence disclosure requirements. In August, she introduced the Foreign Propaganda Disclosure Act, legislation proposing amendments to FARA that would extend certain registration requirements to social media influencers engaged in covered activities involving foreign principals.
The legislation was referred to the House Judiciary Committee and included bipartisan sponsorship. Cammack was among its Republican co-sponsors, along with Democratic Reps. Vicente Gonzalez of Texas and Jared Moskowitz of Florida.
During Monday’s interview, Luna also raised questions about Abdul El-Sayed, a Michigan political figure, suggesting that his reported Egyptian citizenship warranted greater public scrutiny.
Cain acknowledged the issue but cautioned that the citizenship allegations had not been definitively established.
“Yes, I have seen the back-and-forth on this. Seems like it’s not quite 100% confirmed, unless you know some information that I do not about El-Sayed, but that’s been an open conversation. Does he have dual citizenship? And it brings up, I think, the larger question. Yes, to your point, Congresswoman, we should know. And there’s a reason that we should know, because dual citizenship suggests divided loyalties. So why do we have dual citizenship on elected politicians?”
Luna agreed, arguing that holding citizenship in another country could complicate decisions involving American military operations or foreign adversaries.
“Well, 100%. You can’t be expected to have — God forbid there’s a wartime situation. Where does your loyalty lie? It should only lie to the United States. And what I would say is, with El-Sayed specifically, I think he’s out on stage. I actually saw the clip. I reposted it on my social media saying that he had Egyptian citizenship. So, I mean, look, that’s one thing that I will tell you, when you’re given access to top secret information — we know that there’s also been issue with his candidacy and him specifically wanting to condemn the Muslim Brotherhood. These are very real threats here.
“But it’s not just him, it’s also to issues of espionage specifically pertaining to China, etc.,” she added. “So, my opinion, only American citizens should be able to hold elected office.”
El-Sayed’s alleged dual citizenship was not independently confirmed during the exchange, and Cain specifically acknowledged uncertainty about the claim. Luna’s additional comments concerning the Muslim Brotherhood were presented as part of her national security argument rather than evidence of any established legal violation by El-Sayed.
Her remarks also raised broader constitutional questions about citizenship requirements for federal elected officials.
The U.S. Constitution requires members of the House of Representatives to have been American citizens for at least seven years, be at least 25 years old and reside in the state they represent when elected. Senators must have been citizens for at least nine years and must be at least 30 years old.
Neither constitutional provision expressly prohibits dual citizenship. The Constitution also establishes separate eligibility requirements for the presidency, including the natural-born citizenship requirement.
Dual citizenship is legally recognized under American law, and possessing another nationality does not, by itself, disqualify someone from congressional service. A proposal requiring lawmakers to disclose foreign citizenship would therefore present a different legal question from one seeking to prohibit dual citizens from holding office altogether.
Luna’s stated position emphasizes the importance of identifying potential conflicts of allegiance, particularly in matters involving national defense, intelligence and foreign policy. Existing congressional ethics requirements already impose restrictions on certain financial relationships, gifts and outside activities, but they do not establish a general prohibition against holding another country’s citizenship.
The Foreign Agents Registration Act also distinguishes nationality from conduct. Individuals generally become subject to its registration requirements because of specified activities undertaken on behalf of foreign principals, not merely because they maintain citizenship ties to another country.
National security investigations similarly consider multiple factors when evaluating potential foreign influence, including foreign government relationships, financial interests, outside obligations and access to protected information. Dual citizenship may be relevant to an individual assessment without independently demonstrating espionage or disloyalty.
The debate intensified after federal authorities conducted a court-authorized search of Omar’s Washington residence Monday morning.
According to CBS News reporting on the investigation, agents from Homeland Security Investigations executed a search warrant as part of an ongoing federal criminal inquiry. Sources familiar with the investigation said authorities were examining immigration documentation involving Omar’s family.
The Justice Department confirmed the operation but did not publicly detail all allegations or disclose evidence establishing criminal wrongdoing.
Omar, a Somali-born naturalized American citizen who represents Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District, has repeatedly denied allegations concerning her immigration history. She has also criticized previous investigations and political accusations directed at her.
Following Monday’s search, Omar’s congressional office released a statement accusing the Trump administration of using federal law enforcement against political opponents.
“This raid by Trump’s DHS is an outrageous abuse of power and an unprecedented escalation in the weaponization of federal law enforcement to target political enemies. For a decade, Donald Trump has relentlessly targeted Congresswoman Ilhan Omar with inflammatory rhetoric, repeatedly putting a target on her back. Now, those attacks have escalated to a pointless federal raid. The Congresswoman has done nothing wrong. No president should be able to use the power of the federal government to intimidate his political enemies.”
The congresswoman has not been convicted of wrongdoing in connection with the investigation, and the execution of a search warrant does not establish guilt.
The timing of the search, approximately three weeks before the November 3 midterm elections, also drew scrutiny from Democratic lawmakers who questioned whether federal authorities were observing longstanding Justice Department practices intended to limit politically sensitive investigative actions near elections.
An Associated Press account of the search described objections from Democratic congressional leaders and Omar’s assertion that she would not be intimidated into silence.
Luna’s interview did not establish that the inquiry involving Omar concerned dual citizenship. Rather, she used the investigation as an opportunity to advocate broader disclosure rules that would apply across Congress.
The distinction matters because criminal investigations involving immigration documents and questions about whether elected officials hold multiple nationalities are separate legal issues. Neither naturalization nor dual nationality, standing alone, proves that a lawmaker has violated federal law.
The Florida Republican’s concerns about foreign influence also extend to China and other governments whose intelligence activities have prompted increased scrutiny in Washington. Lawmakers from both parties have expressed concerns about espionage, foreign lobbying and attempts to influence American political institutions.
However, allegations of espionage require evidence of conduct, and nationality alone does not establish participation in foreign intelligence activities.
Luna has argued that greater transparency would allow voters to evaluate potential conflicts before choosing their representatives. Her position places the responsibility for disclosure on elected officials rather than requiring the public to determine whether lawmakers possess additional citizenship through outside research.
A mandatory disclosure system could require lawmakers to identify current foreign citizenship, previous nationality or citizenship acquired through birth, descent, marriage or naturalization. The specific information that would be required, whether exemptions would apply and what penalties would follow nondisclosure would depend on legislation enacted by Congress.
Such requirements would also have to be evaluated in light of constitutional protections, existing qualifications for federal office and federal privacy laws.
The issue presents a broader distinction between transparency and eligibility. Requiring lawmakers to identify foreign citizenship would not necessarily prevent them from serving, while excluding dual citizens from Congress could raise constitutional objections because the Constitution establishes qualifications for membership in the House and Senate.
Luna did not announce a new standalone bill during the television appearance, but she reaffirmed her support for making citizenship information available to the American public.
Her comments reflect continued Republican interest in expanding scrutiny of foreign influence within federal institutions, particularly among officials involved in national security decisions.
For now, the debate remains focused on whether current congressional disclosure rules provide sufficient information about lawmakers’ citizenship and potential foreign obligations. Luna maintains that voters should have access to those details, while any proposal to alter eligibility requirements would face substantially different constitutional considerations.
The Florida congresswoman’s latest remarks place that question alongside the continuing investigation involving Omar, as lawmakers debate how much information elected officials should be required to disclose about their ties to foreign countries and what those disclosures would mean for public accountability.
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