From: arens@ISI.EDU (Yigal Arens)
Newsgroups: talk.politics.mideast
Subject: Re: Dual citizenship, US-Israel. (was Re: Kahane's philosophy)
Date: 17 Dec 92 02:05:09 GMT
	<23065@venera.isi.edu> <Dec16.194446.37060@yuma.ACNS.ColoState.EDU>
Organization: USC/Information Sciences Institute
In-reply-to: bh437292@longs.LANCE.ColoState.Edu's message of 16 Dec 92 19:44:46 GMT

In article <Dec16.194446.37060@yuma.ACNS.ColoState.EDU> bh437292@longs.LANCE.ColoState.Edu (Basil Hamdan) writes:
>
> In article <23065@venera.isi.edu>, arens@ISI.EDU (Yigal Arens) writes:
> |> In article <Dec15.195516.63385@yuma.ACNS.ColoState.EDU> bh437292@longs.LANCE.ColoState.Edu (Basil Hamdan) writes:
> |> >
> |> > Basically, Americans are allowed to become dual citizens of other
> |> > countries (that do not require them to give up American citizenship)
> |> > if they are non naturalized citizens, or naturalized as children.
> |> > If they are naturalized citizens as adults, then they are asked
> |> > to forego all previous nationalities in order to aquire the US
> |> > nationality. . . 
> |> 
> |> Sorry, but this is not correct.  My wife and several close friends are
> |> US citizen who were naturalized as adults, so I have had quite extensive
> |> experience in this matter.  In addition, I am a US citizen who became
> |> an Israeli citizen, so I have firsthand knowledge of what that involves
> |> as well.
>
> Well, I am a naturalized US citizen myself, how is that for first hand
> knowledge ?

Pretty good.  You also seem to have some knowledge of the laws involved.

> |> An adult who undergoes naturalization in the US is required to formally
> |> renounce allegiance to all foreign countries.  However, that is *not*
> |> interpreted as requiring the actual renunciation of foreign
> |> *citizenship*.  No prior demand is made that foreign citizenship be
> |> renounced, nor is there any followup to see what the naturalized
> |> person's citizenship status is later.  My wife and friends are
> |> naturalized US citizens and still hold foreign citizenships.
>
> Just because the US takes us at our oath does not mean that it allows us
> to renegue (sp ??) on our sworn word.  When I was sworn in the Federal 
> District  Court, I pledged to "renounce allegiance to any foreign
> prince or potentate", my interpretation of this oath  means that
> I no longer can legally claim that I am a Lebanese citizen.  I may
> keep the passport and use it, since it was not required of me to formally
> give it up, but using may be ethically wrong.

But it appears that what you are saying actually supports my claim
above: As part of the naturalization process in the US, an immigrant
formally renounces allegiance to all foreign governments.  *However*,
this does not mean that the naturalized citizen is under any obligation
to actually get rid of any foreign citizenships that s/he holds.  It is
perfectly legal to continue holding on to a foreign citizenship.  My
wife has done so, some friends of mine have done so, and you have done
so as well!

Your original message said that (adult) naturalized citizens "are asked
to forego all previous nationalities", which I understood to mean that
they actually had to renounce foreign citizenship.  They don't have to
do *that*, as we both now agree.
--
Yigal Arens
USC/ISI                                                TV made me do it!
arens@isi.edu