A new bill threatens some students at Tualatin High School. Proposed by Senator Bernie Moreno, a Republican from Ohio, Bill S.3283, or the Exclusive Citizenship Act, intends to force American citizens holding two forms of citizenship to either renounce any foreign citizenship or surrender their American citizenship. The Supreme Court previously ruled that citizens of the United States cannot have their citizenship forcefully removed; whether this previous ruling matters in the current political climate is yet to be determined.

Adrian Flores, a senior at Tualatin High School holds citizenship in both the United States and Mexico. If this bill were to see success in Congress, Flores would be forced to choose between the citizenship of Mexico and the United States.

“It affects how I perceive the politics in our country because it’s something that’s been escalated more recently, especially with rising tensions with other countries,” he said. “I think that it shows us where we stand in terms of the fighting between the people in our country. I feel that it’s so prominent and that this is just helping boost those worries in our country.”

The prominence of this bill in Congress sets a worrying precedent for the future of American politics and those who call America their home, critics say. As of now, Bill S.3283 is still in the introductory stage. In the coming months, Congress will decide whether America will continue to distance itself from immigrants.