Citizenship watershed

During the past year, the Italian government severely tightened its citizenship laws to the detriment of many Italian Americans. Now U.S. Sen. Bernie Moreno has thrust himself into the center of this growing dual citizenship controversy by introducing a bill that would require any American who holds citizenship in another country to either renounce that foreign citizenship or risk losing their U.S. citizenship.

Moreno’s bill, filed on Dec. 1 and known as the Exclusive Citizenship Act, has sparked strong criticism from our Italian American organizations. On behalf of both the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations (COPOMIAO), and the Italian Sons and Daughters of America (ISDA), I issued a reply to the senator that read in part: “Italian Americans who choose to obtain dual citizenship do so out of familial pride, to celebrate their heritage, language, customs and traditions. To force Americans to erase their pride in their heritage to ‘prove’ their loyalty is nothing more than a political stunt. This bill serves no purpose because it solves no problem.”

The strong pushback appears to have gotten Moreno’s attention as he sought to clarify his stance on a recent podcast by stating that his bill would now only apply to future naturalized citizens rather than to those who already have dual citizenship.

From the Italian American perspective, we believe that dual citizenship enables cultural exchange, travel, property ownership and participation in civic life on both sides of the Atlantic — ties that enrich, rather than diminish, our civic life both in America and in Italy. In order to continue to provide that opportunity, not only for those Italian Americans who already have dual citizenship but for those who are currently attempting to acquire it, we are monitoring the status of this bill closely, seeking the assistance of both the Italian American Congressional Caucus and our community leaders to help insure the bill dies in committee.

The dual citizenship controversy actually began last March in Italy when the Italian government imposed major restrictions to its own citizenship laws. Under the new rules advanced by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani and approved by the Italian parliament, only the children and grandchildren of Italian citizens are now eligible to apply for Italian citizenship by descent. The reason given for the change was that there were more than 60,000 pending applications, primarily from Brazil and Argentina, and that the Italian government was trying to root out “fraud” and “improper practices” involved in many of those applications.

That change effectively slammed the door shut for many Italian Americans who have spent years collecting documents and preparing applications for dual citizenship, a process that often costs thousands of dollars in legal and translation fees.

At a diplomatic dinner in Washington, D.C., this past July, I had the opportunity to explain to Tajani that Italy should welcome Italian American applications for dual citizenship as we have maintained a strong cultural and familial connection to Italy for generations. I further explained that Italian Americans are extremely proud of our heritage, but this decree sends the uncomfortable message to us that our motherland is not equally proud to claim us, because it chooses to enact laws that make it difficult for Italian Americans to maintain their historical bond with Italy. I have also conveyed this message in a letter to Prime Minister Georgia Meloni, and I will soon be meeting with our new ambassador, Marco Peronaci, at the Italian Embassy in Washington, D.C., to further discuss our concerns.

Whether it be at home or abroad, attempts to limit dual citizenship disenfranchise millions of people whose families, Italian or otherwise, helped build our country. We whose families came from Italy have a great sense of pride in our heritage, and we will make our voices heard in Washington and in Rome to ensure that our bonds to our ancestral homeland remain strongly connected.

The above article appears in the February 2026 issue of the print version of Fra Noi. Our gorgeous, monthly magazine contains a veritable feast of news and views, profiles and features, entertainment and culture.

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