Alabama's Supermajority Is Breaking the Constitution — Who Will Stop Them?

Guest Opinion By Hanu Karlapalem

Governor Ivey, Democrats, Independents, Libertarians, and the last constitutional Republicans must block a radical amendment that creates second-class citizens in open defiance of the 14th Amendment.

Alabama's Republican supermajority lawmakers have decided they know better than the U.S. Constitution.

In October, Sen. Donnie Chesteen (R–Geneva) and Rep. Rhett Marques (R–Enterprise) quietly pre-filed a constitutional amendment that would ban Naturalized U.S. Citizens from serving as governor, attorney general, or even in the Legislature. Secretary of State Wes Allen is openly pushing it — despite having sworn an oath to defend the Constitution he is now trying to carve holes into.

This isn't a messaging bill. It's not symbolic. It's a direct challenge to the 14th Amendment. And for a party that claims to revere the Constitution, it's a breathtaking act of hypocrisy.

The Fourteenth Amendment doesn't mince words: Everyone born or naturalized in the United States is a citizen. Citizenship is one status — full, equal, indivisible. You don't get to create subclasses because you don't like who might run for office.

The justification from the bill's supporters — "preventing foreign influence" — is political theater. Naturalized citizens already endured background checks, interviews, tests, and the most serious oath of loyalty this country has. Meanwhile, Alabamians born here have never been required to prove loyalty to anything.

If lawmakers were genuinely worried about foreign interference, they'd look at dark-money PACs and foreign-owned corporations — not doctors, engineers, business owners, teachers, and soldiers who chose America and pledged to defend it. This amendment isn't about national security. It's about gatekeeping power.

And the precedent is dangerous. If the state can strip rights from one group of citizens, it can strip them from any group. Alabama's history already warned us where that road leads.

Governor Ivey knows this. She has sworn the same oath — and she understands the cost of breaking it. She should reject this amendment loudly and immediately, before Alabama becomes the test case for dismantling equal citizenship nationwide.

To minority-party lawmakers — Democrats, Independents, and the handful of Republicans who still believe in constitutional governance — this is a red-line moment. The supermajority is overreaching, and your collective pushback matters. The public is watching who shows courage and who hides.

Let's also be transparent about something politicians rarely say out loud: Unless you're Indigenous, your family came here from somewhere else. Some came willingly. Some were forced in chains. But when they became citizens, their rights were not conditional. That's the promise the supermajority is now trying to unravel.

Naturalized citizens strengthen Alabama every day. Many of us came from places where democracy is fragile — and we value it enough to defend it. We didn't come here for "partial citizenship." And we won't accept a return to rights-by-birth and privilege-by-pedigree.

If this amendment moves forward, it could be on the 2026 ballot. The time to stop it is now. Alabamians who actually believe in limited government, constitutional fidelity, and equal protection should speak up. Join the growing coalition opposing this amendment and sign the petition at https://c.org/YGVK6r6LCW.

This isn't about party. It's about power, precedent, and whether Alabama intends to honor the Constitution or dismantle it. If we truly stand for freedom and fairness, we must defend equal citizenship — not rewrite it.

Hanu Karlapalem is a naturalized U.S. citizen; former candidate for Madison Mayor and Limestone County Commission; graduate of UAH; Life Member and former Second Vice President of NAACP Limestone County; and a proud Madison resident for more than 25 years.

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