Losing One’s Citizenship & Aliens

*There are three ways in which people become citizens of the United States; Jus Soli, Jus Sanguinis, and through the Naturalization process. There are also three ways in which a person can lose citizenship; they are as follows:

-Expatriation: Giving up one’s citizenship by leaving one’s native country to live in another country. Expatriation can be voluntary or involuntary. If one chooses, he or she can denounce his or her American citizenship voluntarily while living in another country. Citizenship may be lost involuntarily as well; an example of this would occur if a person became a naturalized citizen of another country, they would automatically lose their American citizenship.

-Punishment For a Crime: Citizenship can be taken away as a punishment for certain federal crimes that involve extreme disloyalty to the United States, participation in a rebellion against the United States, attempts to overthrow the government, and treason.

-Denaturalization: Naturalized citizens can lose their citizenship if the government finds out that they completed any part of the naturalization process through fraud or deception. Naturalized citizens can also lose citizenship if the government finds out that they join any radical organization that promotes anti-Americanism, or anti-democratic principles within 5 years of becoming naturalized.

Immigration
America has always been a nation of immigrants. Most of us can trace our ancestry back to people who came here from somewhere else. Immigrants continue to come to America to this day.


*Alien: A person who lives in a country where he or she is not a citizen. In America there are 5 types of aliens; they are as follows:

-Resident Alien: A person from another country who lives in America permanently and is not a citizen. Resident aliens may live in the United States for as long as they wish. They are also entitled to work anywhere that might hire them. People who are resident aliens get an identification document commonly referred to as a Green Card that documents their legal status in America.

-Non-Resident Alien: A person from another country who is here for only a temporary period of time. Non-resident aliens are not immigrants. They are usually in this country for educational purposes, short work assignments, or for vacation.

-Enemy Alien: An alien who is a citizen of a country in which the United States is at war. Enemy aliens can be resident aliens, non-resident aliens, or refugees. The government often keeps close tabs on those it deems enemy aliens.

-Refugee: A person from another country who is here seeking protection from persecution in their homeland based on racial, religious, or political grounds. The government sometimes also gives refugee status to people who are fleeing severe economic hardship or starvation in their homelands.

-Illegal Alien: A person from another country who enters the United States without a legal permit. Currently there are well over 3 million illegal aliens living and working in the United States.