Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib became the first Muslim women to serve in the U.S. House this month as the 116th Congress was called to order. It was an historic moment, though some bloggers have used the occasion to rewrite history instead.
"The McCarran-Walter Act of 1952 bans Muslims from holding public office in the United States," reads a Facebook post from Jan. 6.
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Time for a history lesson.
The McCarran-Walter Act is actually the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952. It’s named for Pat McCarran, then a Democratic senator from Nevada, and Francis Walter, then a Democratic representative from Pennsylvania. Both men worried about communists infiltrating the country through the immigration system, and they wanted to limit who could come to the United States.