Concerning dual citizenship issues

Concerning dual citizenship issues | Daily Tribune

Let’s face it: the way those eye-catching headlines on social media posts dealing with dual citizenship issues are bandied about online, one would think that anyone holding dual citizenship in America is bound for the gallows.

Unfortunately, most social media posters, especially on YouTube and TikTok, churn out misleading headings and taglines to generate millions of views for profit, causing unnecessary worry and confusion among the millions of dual citizens in the US.

In fact, the Philippine Embassy in Washington, D.C., hoping to alleviate the fear and anxiety gripping the Fil-Am community, was forced to issue an official statement emphatically denying the widely circulating social media posts about an October crackdown on dual citizens by the Trump administration.

Since prudence is the mother of all virtues, this corner deems it wise to separate the wheat from the chaff and clarify a number of alarming dual citizenship issues coming out of those online reports.

One such issue pertains to the US State Department’s alleged scrutiny of passport applications or renewals filed by individuals holding dual or multiple citizenships, especially of unfriendly nations. This means that additional information or documentation may be required beyond the initial pro forma submission.

While there is no official guidance regarding the matter, this procedural deviance, if true, is certainly a prerogative of the US government. Understandably, from America’s point of view, passport applicants bearing multiple allegiances, especially to hostile nations such as Russia, Iran, and Syria, must undergo extra vetting in the name of national security. Still, it pays to remember that passport refusal, under the law, may not be based solely on a person’s dual citizenship status.

A related issue is the proposed extra layer of scrutiny in the hiring of dual citizens for government jobs, both federal and state, that require security clearance. In fact, initiatives abound across the country to legalize the proposal as part of America’s overall national security enhancement.

Another concerning issue is the planned strict enforcement, or even an outright revision, of the wordings of the Oath of Allegiance to curtail dual citizenships. Currently, the first part of the oath reads thusly: “I hereby declare, on oath, that I absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty…”

To singular citizenship proponents, applying for or acquiring foreign citizenship after subscribing to such an oath is deemed a repudiation thereof, tantamount to a renunciation of US citizenship. However, since renunciation has very strict criteria under the law, it is doubtful this legal interpretation, or even a restrictive modification of the oath, will fly.

As for financial and taxation issues, the US government has long exercised a long-arm, global policy of taxing its citizens, dual or otherwise, wherever the assets and income may be found. And while its enforcement intensity has risen and fallen with the ebbs and flows of US politics, this is hardly a new development and is thus not an issue of concern.

Despite the above controversies, it appears that there is no truth to the circulating online reports of an October crackdown against dual citizens in America. At this time, however, vigilance remains crucial as no one can truly predict the future of dual citizenship in the country.