Representative Nancy Mace stood before the Capitol press corps this week to propose a constitutional amendment that would bar foreign-born citizens from serving in the highest offices of the land. Holding a pocket-sized copy of the Constitution, Mace argued that the sacred trust of representation requires a loyalty that is beyond question. The proposal would expand current restrictions, which already prevent non-natural-born citizens from becoming President or Vice President, to include members of Congress and the Cabinet.

“Ilhan Omar is just one of many foreign-born members of this government who have made clear, time and again, their loyalty is not here,” Mace said, according to a report by Fox News. The amendment would affect current allies of the administration as well, including Senator Bernie Moreno of Ohio, who was born in Colombia. The move has ignited a fierce debate over the meaning of citizenship and the qualifications for leadership in a nation under pressure.

In the halls of Congress, the physical presence of representatives who were not born on American soil has become a point of contention for those who believe the nation must return to a stricter definition of leadership. The proposal reflects a growing sentiment among the traditionalist base that the social contract is fraying. For those who support the measure, the issue is not one of exclusion, but of ensuring that those who make the laws are rooted solely in the soil of the Republic they serve.