Earlier than turning into a naturalized U.S. citizen, immigrants should take an oath that claims, partially, “I hereby declare, on oath, that I completely and fully resign and abjure all allegiance and constancy to any overseas prince, potentate, state or sovereignty, of whom or which I've heretofore been a topic or citizen.”
That language appears to firmly set up a precept of “one particular person, one nation.” However though it sounds unequivocal, it's not. In actual fact, it's fully potential for naturalized U.S. residents to retain citizenship abroad, or for a native-born American to assert citizenship in a second nation. On the face of it, that is an odd association that challenges the notion that citizenship is an expression of nationwide loyalty. How can an individual be equally loyal to 2 international locations?
But twin citizenship has been particularly sanctioned by america Supreme Courtroom. In 1967, the court docket dominated that the State Division had violated the Structure when it refused to difficulty a brand new U.S. passport to a U.S. citizen who had voted in an election in Israel. The choice overturned a legislation saying that “an individual, who's a nationwide of america, whether or not by delivery or naturalization, shall lose his nationality by voting in a political election in a overseas state.”
In comparison with different points — comparable to a path to citizenship for immigrants who're within the nation illegally — twin citizenship hasn’t been the topic of serious debate in recent times. That could be partly as a result of there isn't any authoritative tally of what number of U.S. residents possess one other nationality. Michael A. Olivas, an immigration professor on the College of Houston Regulation Heart, believes that the quantity is properly over 1 million and may very well be a number of occasions that quantity.
However the idea of twin citizenship is problematic each symbolically and virtually, and will turn into divisive if extra immigrants resolve to avail themselves of the privileges of U.S. residents — as we consider they should do. U.S residents with sturdy ties to their ancestral international locations have been accused of divided loyalties previously even once they didn’t possess citizenship in these international locations — witness the internment of 110,000 Japanese and Japanese People throughout World Conflict II. However when a U.S. citizen can be a citizen of one other nation, the accusation is even simpler to make.
In earlier editorials, we've argued that U.S. citizenship should be the norm for individuals who have determined to dwell and work completely on this nation. And there’s a case to be made that immigrants usually tend to search U.S. citizenship if they're able to retain their earlier nationality. Why wouldn’t it? They wouldn’t have to offer something up. Certainly, when it turned potential to have twin Mexican and U.S. nationality in 1998, there was a surge within the variety of Mexican immigrants making use of for U.S. citizenship.
Nevertheless it’s additionally true that twin citizenship undermines the frequent bond that unites U.S. residents no matter their ethnicity, faith or homeland. Twin citizenship locations a kind of asterisk subsequent to the names of some U.S. residents however not others.
Nations differ of their attitudes towards twin citizenship. Some reject the idea outright; others permit their residents to take out a second citizenship solely in chosen international locations and a few have drawn a distinction between citizenship and nationality.
But there’s no query that twin citizenship poses sensible issues each for individuals who possess it and for the federal government. The U.S. State Division discourages U.S. residents from retaining or making use of for citizenship abroad as a result of “twin nationality might restrict U.S. authorities efforts to help nationals overseas. The nation the place a twin nationwide is situated usually has a stronger declare to that particular person’s allegiance.” The division additionally warns that “twin citizenship can current a safety difficulty whether or not to allow entry to categorized info which impacts recruitment, employment and assignments.” In some instances, twin citizenship might disqualify an applicant for a delicate place with the CIA or the State Division.
The complexities and problems raised by twin citizenship usually are not sufficient to justify amending the Structure to overrule the Supreme Courtroom. However we agree with the State Division that U.S. residents ought to suppose twice about professing allegiance to a different nation. Furthermore, by reinforcing the doubts that some maintain concerning the loyalty of immigrants — some U.S. residents, as an illustration, fume when Mexican People show the Mexican flag at Cinco de Mayo rallies — the persistence of twin citizenship might make it politically harder to safe a path to citizenship for immigrants who got here right here illegally.
In questioning twin citizenship, we aren’t saying that immigrants should neglect their international locations of delivery or repudiate their language or tradition. In giant elements of the southwestern United States, U.S. residents of Mexican descent steadily journey forwards and backwards between the 2 international locations, enriching the cultures and economies of each international locations. Quite, we consider that citizenship on this nation needs to be an expression of allegiance to it, enforced not by a pledge however quite by a need to be a part of this nation. Twin citizenship might have a spot in American society, however the objective needs to be the cultivation of undivided People, pleased with their heritage and dedicated to this nation.
That is a part of an ongoing dialog exploring the that means of citizenship in America at this time. For extra, be a part of us at latimes.com/citizenship and #21stCenturyCitizen. We’d love to listen to from you. Share your ideas, rebuttals and experiences with us at letters@latimes.com.
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