The Anti-Defamation League said on Tuesday that Sen. Bernie Moreno’s (R-OH) new proposal to ban dual citizenship risks reviving an antisemitic “dual loyalty” charge that has historically been used to target Jewish Americans.

Dan Granot, the Anti-Defamation League’s senior director of government relations, criticized the bill, noting that claims of dual loyalty have been used to attack Jews in the past, and that the legislation risks playing into those attacks.

“The idea of questioning the loyalty of Americans based on dual citizenship is deeply troubling. Dual citizenship is a lawful and common status that millions of Americans hold, and it does not diminish anyone’s commitment to the United States,” Granot said in a statement to Jewish Insider. “Accusations of ‘dual loyalty’ have historically been used against Jews to exclude them from public life and even justify violence, making this trope especially harmful and dangerous.” 

“America’s strength comes from the diverse backgrounds of its people and the cultural and familial perspectives they bring to civic life, all while remaining fully devoted to this country,” he continued. “We urge leaders to avoid rhetoric or proposals that invoke this antisemitic narrative.”

Jewish Americans — including Jewish lawmakers — have faced attacks over their support for Israel, in many cases using false and insidious claims that they hold dual loyalties. Far-right activists, in particular, have seized on such narratives.

A Moreno spokesperson did not respond to JI’s request for comment on the ADL’s criticisms. 

Moreno himself was an immigrant to the United States from Colombia, but his office said the Ohio senator forfeited his Colombian citizenship after being naturalized as a U.S. citizen at the age of 18. His legislation, the Exclusive Citizenship Act, requires American citizens to pledge “sole and exclusive allegiance” to the U.S. and renounce citizenship from any other country, including U.S. allies, because they “could create conflicts of interest.”

“One of the greatest honors of my life was when I became an American citizen at 18, the first opportunity I could do so,” Moreno said in a statement announcing the bill’s introduction. “It was an honor to pledge an Oath of Allegiance to the United States of America and ONLY to the United States of America! Being an American citizen is an honor and a privilege — and if you want to be an American, it’s all or nothing. It’s time to end dual citizenship for good.”