Editorial: On July 4 of all days, a naturalized citizen is not less than a US citizen
Becoming a U.S. citizen is a thing of finality and a commitment on both sides. Part of the pact is that a naturalized citizen is no less than a U.S.-born citizen. Simply put, both are citizens of the United States, equal under the law. Both are to be afforded all of the rights and privileges thereof.
On this Independence Day, we're thus deeply troubled by the current administration's threatened violation of that pact. The Department of Justice, The Hill reported this week, is encouraging its attorneys to 'seek to strip U.S. citizenship from those who have naturalized if they have committed various crimes,' and even to consider launching a 'denaturalization process' when someone has merely been accused of serious wrongdoing.
How un-American. We hardly need to point out that native-born citizens commit crimes, too. All need to be held accountable, but not differently so.
Exactly how the Trump administration would strip naturalized citizens of their U.S. citizenship remains unclear, but it appears that the basis would be to see if anything went undisclosed by the new citizen during his or her naturalization process. If some kind of 'material misrepresentation' was found, the government could move to revoke that person's citizenship. And that could be as simple as arguing that someone was not 'of good moral character.'
Moral character is in the eye of the beholder. This is all so vague as to permit the DOJ to move against most anyone the administration dislikes, which could be anyone from political opponents to journalists. Naturalized U.S. citizens aware of this are feeling a new insecurity, even if they've been a law-abiding citizen for years.
Visa and green-card holders are one thing; there are legitimate rules to follow and the status can reasonably be seen as conditional. But is something entirely different. The U.S. has more than adequate time to consider such applications from petitioners and is free to reject them.
But once it them, there is a mutual acceptance of finality. Not unlike a Supreme Court verdict, to our minds.
Citizenship implies governmental protection. Citizenship says this country is your home.
If not, then what are we celebrating today?
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