Rep. Anna Paulina Luna said members of Congress should be required to disclose whether they hold dual citizenship, arguing that federal officeholders should have an exclusive allegiance to the United States when representing American citizens.

Luna made the remarks during an appearance with Will Cain while criticizing New York congressional candidate Claire Valdez and her rhetoric concerning Mexico.

“I think that that's embarrassing, and I say that as someone that again is the first Mexican American elected to Congress from the state of Florida,” Luna said.

Luna criticized the candidate for attacking corporations while, in her view, failing to direct similar criticism toward corruption within the Mexican government.

“You know, I saw her posting, and she's calling out corporations, but she can't call out the corrupt government of Mexico that's responsible for one of the bloodiest election cycles in the last decade with people actually running for office,” Luna said.

Luna then raised concerns about cartel influence in Mexican politics, saying she would not be surprised if some of the people involved were connected to criminal organizations.

“I would not be surprised that if people in that very photo are actually on the take from the cartel because, frankly, the cartel was murdering people that were speaking out about corruption within the government of Mexico,” Luna said.

She argued that anyone seeking a seat in the U.S. House should make clear that the office is intended to represent American citizens and American interests.

“So you're running for U.S. Congress, not Mexican Congress; maybe understand the two,” Luna said.

Luna then expanded the argument beyond the individual candidate and called for a disclosure requirement covering members of Congress who may hold citizenship in another country.

“But this is again why I think that members of Congress should require to disclose whether or not they are dual citizens,” Luna said.

Her position is that holding allegiance to another country creates a potential conflict for someone serving in federal office.

“You cannot have allegiances to two countries, and in this instance, she's literally running on a platform that would represent Mexico, not the United States, and that should be called out for what it is,” Luna said.

Cain followed up by asking whether dual citizenship should go beyond disclosure and become a disqualifying factor for someone seeking federal office.

“And quickly, Congresswoman, shouldn't that be disqualifying?” Cain asked.

“Aren't you elected to represent Americans?”

Luna answered without hesitation.

“Absolutely. Absolutely it should be disqualifying,” she said.

Luna said the issue connects to broader frustration among voters who question whether elected officials are exclusively representing the people who sent them to Washington.

“And I think that this is exactly why you're seeing so much frustration with the American people saying, Do we even have people in office that are representing us?” Luna said.

She continued by questioning whether officials holding citizenship in more than one country could face competing loyalties while serving in Congress.

“Are they dual citizens running for other countries, like, for example, in this case?” Luna said.

Luna reiterated that she believes dual citizenship should prevent someone from holding federal office.

“It should be disqualifying,” she said.

She closed by emphasizing that she views American citizenship and allegiance as the first obligation of someone serving in Congress.

“I think that it's a shame and, honestly, it's embarrassing as someone that takes pride in being American first and foremost.”

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