Proposed 'American Citizens First Act' Cuts All Federal Benefits for Non-Citizens and Threatens Denaturalization for Protesting

The proposed “American Citizens First Act” aims to overhaul several major areas of immigration and social policy simultaneously. At its core, the bill immediately bars anyone who is not a U.S. citizen or national from receiving any federal public benefits. This is a sweeping change that affects programs like Medicaid, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, or food stamps), federal housing assistance, and even federal student financial aid (SEC. 2).

If passed, this means that non-citizens—including legal permanent residents, asylum seekers, and others legally residing in the country who were previously eligible—would lose access to essential safety net programs. For a family where one parent is a non-citizen and relies on SNAP to feed their kids, or a student who needs federal aid to afford college, this change would create immediate and significant financial hardship, regardless of their legal status in the U.S. or how long they have lived here.

Citizenship: New Risks for Naturalized Americans

Section 3 introduces a new, highly consequential reason for denaturalization (revoking citizenship) for people who became citizens through naturalization. A naturalized citizen could lose their citizenship and face expedited deportation if they are convicted of, or credibly found by the Secretary of Homeland Security to have participated in, a riot, an unlawful protest involving violence or property destruction, or any act intended to disrupt the constitutional order (SEC. 3). This is a major shift because it applies retroactively, regardless of how long someone has been a citizen.

This provision raises serious questions about free speech and due process. While the bill targets violence and disruption, the terms “unlawful protest” or “act intended to overthrow or disrupt” are broad and could be interpreted widely. For naturalized citizens, this creates a specific, heightened risk that doesn't apply to native-born citizens: participating in a protest that turns sour could put their citizenship status—and their ability to remain in the country—at risk.

Enforcement: Fewer Safety Valves at the Border

The bill also dramatically expands and mandates the use of expedited removal procedures, which allow the government to quickly deport individuals without a formal hearing before an immigration judge. Section 4 expands the scope of who can be placed in expedited removal to include any non-admitted or non-paroled person, regardless of how long they have been in the U.S. Crucially, it prohibits the Secretary of Homeland Security from granting any discretionary exception to expedited removal, except for those who successfully claim a credible fear of persecution (SEC. 4).

This means that the few existing safety valves and exceptions that allow for case-by-case review are eliminated. For individuals apprehended at the border, this significantly limits due process and makes it much harder to argue against removal, centralizing the power to decide who stays and who goes within the Department of Homeland Security.

Targeted Review of Afghan Nationals

Section 5 mandates a comprehensive security review for every Afghan national admitted as a refugee, under a special immigrant visa, or paroled into the U.S. between January 20, 2021, and the bill’s enactment date. This review requires re-interviews and biometric checks. If the Secretary determines any of these individuals pose a risk to national security or public safety, they face expedited removal (SEC. 5).

While this review is underway, the bill immediately suspends the processing of all new applications for special immigrant or refugee status for Afghan nationals, and prohibits the use of federal funds for their resettlement support. This means that current processing stops cold, and vital resettlement services—like housing assistance or job placement—are frozen until the massive, retroactive review is complete and certified to Congress.

TPS Termination Based on Broad Crime Stats

Finally, the bill introduces an automatic termination mechanism for Temporary Protected Status (TPS)—a designation that allows people from countries experiencing conflict or disaster to live and work in the U.S. temporarily. A country’s TPS designation will automatically end if the crime rate among its nationals exceeds the national average crime rate by 20 percent (SEC. 6).

Here’s the catch: the required crime rate calculation must include all offenses—civil offenses, traffic violations, misdemeanors, and felonies. The Secretary must report these stats every 180 days. Using a metric that includes minor traffic tickets and civil infractions sets an incredibly low bar for automatic termination. This rule applies retroactively to TPS designations made after January 20, 2021, specifically naming Afghanistan, Haiti, Venezuela, and Somalia. This could result in the automatic loss of status for hundreds of thousands of people based on statistics that include minor infractions that wouldn’t typically be considered a public safety threat.