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December 7, 2025 | 5:50pm
File photo showing flags of the United States of America and the Philippines.
STAR / File
MANILA, Philippines — A recently filed bill in the United States Senate that seeks to end dual citizenship remains only a proposal and is far from becoming law, the Philippine Embassy in Washington said.
In an advisory on Saturday, December 6 (Manila time), the embassy said the measure must still undergo extensive deliberations in both chambers of the U.S. Congress and may or may not advance depending on lawmakers’ decisions.
The embassy noted that U.S. legislators will need to carefully weigh the bill’s implications given its potential impact on major immigrant communities.
Citing past U.S. Supreme Court decisions, the embassy noted earlier efforts to challenge dual or multiple citizenship in the United States have not succeeded.
“As early as 1952, the U.S. Supreme Court has stated that dual citizenship is a ‘status long recognized by law’ and that ‘a person may have and exercise rights of nationality in two countries'… The mere fact he asserts the rights of one citizenship does not mean that he renounces the other’ (Kawakita v. US, 343 US 717),” it said.
Philippine Foreign Service Posts in the United States are monitoring legislative developments and encouraged Filipino-Americans to stay updated.
The embassy also cautioned community members against making hasty decisions to renounce Philippine citizenship, noting that renunciation is irreversible under Philippine law.
Not aimed at Filipinos
Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel Romualdez said the proposed measure is not directed at Filipinos, adding that the Filipino community “remains one of the most respected immigrant groups in the U.S.”
“From nurses and caregivers to engineers, professionals and service workers, Filipinos have become indispensable contributors to the American economy and society,” he said in a column published by The STAR.
He added that Filipinos have shown “a consistent respect for U.S. laws, institutions and civic norms,” a reputation he described as valuable.
Romualdez noted that most Filipinos have not been affected by recent tightening of immigration enforcement because they typically enter the United States through legal and documented pathways.
Concerns of vulnerable groups
While the majority of Filipino immigrants follow U.S. immigration rules, Romualdez acknowledged that a “small minority” face more complicated circumstances, such as overstaying visas or entering the country without proper documentation.
“Their fears are real, and their situations deserve empathy,” he said. “Many simply sought better opportunities, driven by the desire to support families back home.”
Still, he underscored that immigration enforcement in the U.S. “is based on legality, not nationality.
