First Lady Melania Trump and her son Barron may soon find themselves at the center of a Republican-led initiative aimed at tightening immigration laws. Senator Bernie Moreno from Ohio is spearheading a legislative proposal targeting dual citizenship. Both Melania and Barron hold citizenship in the United States and Slovenia, Melania’s birthplace. The First Lady ensured that her son also obtained this dual nationality by completing the necessary paperwork.

Moreno’s proposed law would compel individuals with dual citizenship to choose between their American and foreign citizenships to maintain their U.S. status. The White House and the Office of the First Lady have yet to comment on this potential legislation. This proposal emerges as Republicans intensify their immigration policies following a tragic incident involving the shooting of two National Guard members in Washington, D.C., just before Thanksgiving. One of the soldiers, Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, succumbed to her injuries.

The alleged assailant, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, is an Afghan national who previously worked with a covert CIA unit targeting Taliban leaders. After seeking asylum in the U.S., he settled in Washington state. In response to the shooting, President Donald Trump announced a ‘permanent pause’ on immigration from certain ‘third world countries’ via social media, although he did not specify which nations. However, it is believed this includes Afghanistan, Iran, Laos, Syria, Yemen, Somalia, Sudan, and Venezuela. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has stated that all asylum applications are now undergoing a thorough review.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Monday followed-up with a proposal for a ‘full travel ban’ on countries ‘flooding our nation with killers, leeches, and entitlement junkies.’ And now, Moreno’s plans would require those with dual citizenship with any other country to swear their ‘exclusive allegiance’ to the US. The pro-Trump senator was born in Colombia, but has since renounced his citizenship there. ‘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 told Fox News Digital on Monday.

‘It was an honor to pledge an Oath of Allegiance to the United States of America and only to the United States of America,’ he continued. ‘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.’ Commenting on his Exclusive Citizenship Act of 2025, Moreno claimed dual citizenship creates ‘conflicts of interest and divided loyalties.’ His legislation would alter current immigration law and require dual citizens to choose just one citizenship.

Melania was born in Slovenia in 1970. She came to New York as a model in 1996 on a tourist visa before obtaining a work visa. In 2001 she obtained her green card, married Donald Trump in 2005 and became a US citizen in 2006. The first lady earned her citizenship on an EB-1 visa, which is reserved for immigrants with ‘extraordinary ability’ and ‘sustained national and international acclaim.’

She is only the second-ever first lady to be born outside of the US and the first to become a naturalized US citizen. To get Barron his dual citizenship, Melania likely had to file paperwork since Slovenian citizenship was not automatic. Both have kept their Slovenian passports even after Donald Trump became president.