Latest news with #dualCitizenship
Arab News
06-07-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Dual citizenship concerns simmer below the surface
Nearly 7 million Americans have sworn allegiance to another country besides the US, data shows. Some might brush off the issue of dual citizenship because it only impacts about 3 percent of America's population. But compare that with the No. 1 concern of many Americans today: the 11.7 million foreigners who have entered the country and are living there illegally. Why is the issue of illegal migration so much more of a concern for American political leaders than the issue of swearing an oath of loyalty to a foreign country? Both were in the news last week, but they were addressed very differently by both politicians and by the mainstream news media. Congress on Thursday passed President Donald Trump's 'One Big Beautiful Bill,' which sets aside more than $170 billion for immigration and border enforcement. However, the new law does not address the issue of dual citizenship. But this took center stage at the White House the same day, when the president greeted Edan Alexander, a dual American-Israeli citizen and soldier in the Israeli military who was held hostage by Hamas after being captured during the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack. Born and raised in New Jersey, the 21-year-old moved to Israel in 2022, where he swore an oath of allegiance to Israel to gain citizenship. He then enlisted in the army and was serving as a staff sergeant when he was captured. He was freed by Hamas in May in an apparent goodwill gesture as part of negotiations to secure a ceasefire. During the White House meeting, no mention was made of the fact that he had never served in the US military to defend America. Pro-Israel propaganda has extensively used Alexander's US citizenship to fuel anti-Arab sentiments. It asserts that Hamas and Palestinians generally are not just anti-Israel, they are also anti-American. But the real question is, can someone who pledges loyalty and patriotism to a foreign country truly be an American? As a Palestinian American who served during the Vietnam War, whose brother served in the US Marines and whose father and uncle served during the Second World War fighting the Nazis, why is our loyalty questioned but not Alexander's — a person who has never served America but has served a foreign country? Ironically, the loyalty of Americans of Arab heritage like myself — and especially those who are Muslim — is often questioned, challenged and even used as a basis to confront our expressions of concern for Israel's war crimes and genocide in the Gaza Strip over the past two years. The real question is, can someone who pledges loyalty and patriotism to a foreign country truly be an American? Ray Hanania Arab and Muslim students protesting Israel's Gaza war on college campuses have been viciously attacked and accused of antisemitism. The US Justice Department has launched efforts to expel them. Most American politicians prefer to avoid the issue of dual citizenship, but they pounce on false accusations of anti-Americanism by pro-Palestine students. While pro-Israel propaganda has suppressed public debate over the treachery of a person swearing dual national loyalties, the issue continues to force its way into public debates. In March, Republican Rep. Thomas Massie introduced legislation — the Dual Loyalty Disclosure Act — that, if it were to become law, would require Americans who run for federal office to declare if they have citizenship of a foreign country. 'Dual citizens elected to the United States Congress should renounce citizenship in all other countries,' said Rep. Massie. 'At a minimum, they should disclose their citizenship in other countries and abstain from votes specifically benefiting those countries. If we are going to continue to allow members of Congress to acquire and retain citizenship in other countries, they should at least be required to disclose to voters all countries of which they consider themselves to be citizens." The bill is co-sponsored by, among others, Reps. Andy Biggs, Marjorie Taylor Greene and Clay Higgins, all supporters of Trump who have been vocal about opposing excessive foreign aid to all countries, including Israel, and redirecting those funds to 'American needs.' Dual citizenship is an issue of patriotism for every nation. Why should people who enjoy citizenship and benefits in one country be able to pledge their loyalty to another country and serve in its military? It is an expression of that person's lack of faith in the country in which they live. It is like having a plan B: just in case things do not go well in one country, they can use their dual citizenship to flee to another country and to be loyal to it instead. Dual citizenship is a political contradiction that challenges the foundation of national loyalty. It should be banned, not just in America but in every country around the world.
Khaleej Times
18-06-2025
- Politics
- Khaleej Times
Ukraine allows multiple citizenship as war drags on
Ukrainians will be able to hold dual or multiple citzenship under a law approved by the parliament on Wednesday that aims to ease a demographic crisis exacerbated by the four-year war with Russia and to improve ties with the country's large diaspora. Previously, Ukrainian law did not recognise dual or multiple citizenship, meaning that ethnic Ukrainians living outside the country and holding other passports had to renounce their other citizenship if they wanted a Ukrainian passport. Government officials estimate Ukraine's diaspora at some 25 million people. They put the current population in Ukraine at 32 million, down sharply from 52 million in 1991 when Ukraine became independent after the collapse of the Soviet Union. "This decision is an important step to maintain and restore ties with millions of Ukrainians around the world," Oleksiy Chernyshov, minister for unity, said in a social media post on Facebook after Wednesday's vote. The issue of multiple citizenship has become even more pressing since Russia's invasion in February 2022, exacerbating a demographic decline that had started years before. Ukraine saw several large labour migrations in the early 1990s. With the start of the invasion, millions of Ukrainians fled the fighting. With the war now in its fourth year, data shows that more than 5 million Ukrainians live in Europe, while tens of thousands of people have been killed in the conflict. "Since the situation in Ukraine is unstable, people... do not know whether to return or not...," said Natalya Kostyk-Ustenko, who fled Kherson in southern Ukraine in June 2022 and lives in Lithuania with her two children. "Our roots are Ukrainian, we love our country, we support it as best we can. This (move on citizenship) is significant support for us as refugees, we are all scattered around the world," she told Reuters. Lawmakers said the new law would simplify procedures for children born to Ukrainian parents abroad and also for Ukrainians who obtain other citizenship by marriage. It will also make it easier to obtain Ukrainian citizenship for foreigners fighting for Ukraine on the frontlines. The law does not directly ban Russian citizens from obtaining Ukrainian passports but says the government will be able to implement restrictions related to the armed aggression against Ukraine. Foreigners would have to pass a test to prove their knowledge of the Ukrainian language, history and constitution.
The Independent
25-05-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
The rules behind Pope Leo remaining a US citizen now he's a foreign head of state
The election of Pope Leo XIV presents a unique legal and diplomatic situation, as the first American-born pontiff is also a dual citizen of the United States and Peru. Born Robert Prevost in Chicago in 1955, the newly elected pope has held Peruvian citizenship for the past decade, alongside his American citizenship, due to his extensive missionary work and role as a bishop in the South American country. This dual citizenship status, coupled with his new position as head of the Vatican City State, raises complex questions regarding his legal standing within the United States. As pope, Leo serves as leader of both the Holy See, the governing body of the Catholic Church, and Vatican City, an independent state. Can the pope remain a U.S. citizen while leading a foreign government? Here are things to know about Leo's citizenship. Is the Vatican considered a sovereign nation? In addition to being the spiritual leader for what the church says is roughly 1.4 billion Catholics worldwide, Leo is also the head of what's recognized as the world's smallest nation. Vatican City covers just 0.17 square miles (0.44 square kilometers) and has a population of a few hundred people. It became an independent state in 1929 under a treaty between Italy and the Holy See. Could Leo be stripped of his U.S. citizenship? Americans working for foreign governments aren't automatically at risk of forfeiting their U.S. citizenship. But the U.S. State Department says on its website that it may 'actively review' the citizenship status of Americans who 'serve as a foreign head of state, foreign head of government, or foreign minister.' 'Such cases raise complex questions of international law, including issues related to the level of immunity from U.S. jurisdiction that the person so serving may be afforded,' the policy states. The State Department declined to comment on the pope's status. A spokesperson said the department doesn't discuss the citizenship of individuals. The core issue is whether foreign leaders should hold American citizenship when they also enjoy broad immunity from U.S. laws, said Peter Spiro, a Temple University law professor and an expert on citizenship law. Such immunity clashes with the constitutional principle that no U.S. citizen should be above the law. However, the U.S. Supreme Court in a 1980 decision ruled that Americans can't be stripped of their citizenship unless they intentionally renounce it. 'The State Department never assumes that you intend to lose your citizenship unless you specifically say so through the renunciation process,' Spiro said. He said it would be hard to argue that Leo, by becoming pope, demonstrated an intent to give up being a U.S. citizen. 'I think it's highly unlikely that the U.S. moves to terminate the pope's citizenship,' Spiro said. Can the pope remain a citizen of Peru? Peruvian law has no conflict with Pope Leo remaining a citizen, said Jorge Puch, deputy director of registry archives at Peru 's National Registry of Identification and Civil Status. Leo was granted Peruvian citizenship in August 2015, the month before Pope Francis appointed him bishop of Chiclayo in the South American country's northern region. To qualify, he had to live in Peru for at least two years and pass a civics test. 'It is the most praiseworthy thing our beloved supreme pontiff could have done: Wanting to have Peruvian nationality without having been Peruvian by birth,' Puch said. All adult Peruvians, including naturalized citizens, are required to vote in elections through age 69. Voting in Peru's presidential election next April won't be mandatory for Leo. He turns 70 in September. It's not clear what happened to the citizenship status of Leo's predecessors once they became pope. That's not information the Vatican discloses. Pope Francis renewed his passport in his home country of Argentina in 2014, the year after he became pope. German-born Pope Benedict XVI and Pope John Paul II, a native of Poland, never publicly relinquished citizenship in their home countries. John Paul was the first non-Italian pope in 455 years. Margaret Susan Thompson, a Syracuse University history professor and expert on American Catholicism, said she doubts Leo would renounce his U.S. citizenship. But she believes the new pope was sending a message when he delivered his first speech in Italian and Spanish without using English. 'I think he wants to stress that he is the pope of the universal Catholic Church,' Thompson said, 'and not an American holding that position.' Have other US citizens served as leaders of a foreign government? Yes. Here are a few notable examples. Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was born in New York to British parents in 1964. He left the U.S. as a young boy and renounced his American citizenship in 2016 while serving as the U.K.'s foreign secretary. Johnson became prime minister three years later. Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed was an American citizen when he was elected president of Somalia in 2017. Born in Somalia, he moved to the U.S. in 1985 and became a citizen in the 1990s. Mohamed gave up his U.S. citizenship two years into his presidency. Valdas Adamkus became a U.S. citizen after his family fled Lithuania to escape Soviet occupation. He returned to win Lithuania's presidency in 1998, years after the Soviet Union collapsed. He relinquished his American citizenship after being elected.
