Free Republic

Of all the ignorant pronouncements in the 2016 presidential campaign, the dumbest may be that the Constitution forbids a “religious test” in the vetting of immigrants. Monotonously repeated in political speeches and talking-head blather, this claim is heedless of the Islamic doctrinal roots on which foreign-born Islamists and the jihadists they breed base their anti-Americanism. It is also dead wrong. The clause said to be the source of this drivel is found in Article VI. As you’ll no doubt be shocked to learn, it has utterly nothing to do with immigration. The clause states, “no religious Test shall ever be...

Stepping onto the national stage for her first big appearance of the campaign, Melania Trump, wife of GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump, detailed her own personal journey from Slovenia to the U.S., and called her decision to become an American “the greatest privilege on planet Earth. Introduced by her husband, Mrs. Trump vowed her husband will “never, ever, let you down”

Immigrant-rights advocates had vowed to make 2016 the year of the anti-Donald Trump citizenship surge, hoping to sign up a million new immigrants eager to send a message rejeting the GOP’s presidential candidate — but so far they’re falling short, with naturalization rates only slightly higher than four years ago. There’s little question that Mr. Trump’s outsized rhetoric has angered Hispanic activists overall, and Mexican immigrants in particular. But applications for citizenship are up just 6.6 percent compared to the same period in 2012, according to the latest data from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, and actual approvals are down...

The Obama administration is supporting several non-profit groups — with federal funding through a major White House initiative — that are part of an organized effort aimed at converting green-card holders into U.S. citizens in order to vote against Donald Trump, ... Through an initiative called Networks for Integrating New Americans initiative, which the White House formed in April 2014, the administration has partnered with the National Partnership for New Americans (NPNA), an immigration rights umbrella organization that has denounced Trump’s “hateful rhetoric.” In a recent post to its Facebook page, NPNA asserted that green-card holders “have the potential to...

Will the Dems let Cruz, born in Canada to a Cuban father, be Hillary's opponent in the General election?

The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 (H.R. 2580; Pub.L. 89–236, 79 Stat. 911, enacted June 30, 1968), a.k.a. Hart-Celler Act, 1965 Section 202 of the Immigration and Nationality Act... “(b)(3) an alien born in the United States shall be considered as having been born in the country of which he is a citizen or subject, or if he is not a citizen or subject of any country then in the last foreign country in which he had his residence as determined by the consular officer; (4) an alien born within any foreign state in which neither of his parents...

CHAP. LV. An act declaring who shall be deemed citizens of this commonwealth. BE it enacted by the General Assembly, That all white persons born within the territory of this commonwealth, and all who have resided therein two years next before the passing of this act; and all who shall hereafter migrate into the same, other than alien enemies, and shall before any .......

Decisions by hundreds of thousands of Hispanic immigrants to apply for U.S. citizenship are driving the number of eligible Hispanic voters to record heights, according to a new Pew Research Center analysis. The Hispanic electorate is expected to grow to a record 27.3 million voters in 2016, primarily because millions of U.S.-born Hispanics are coming of voting age, Pew found. But the second largest driver of growth is naturalization. (RELATED: White House Launches Campaign To Get Immigrants To Sign Up For Citizenship)

The federal voter registration form has zero safeguards. She was only caught because she accidentally self-reported. Last week, the Department of Justice Board of Immigration Appeals upheld a decision to deport Margarita Del Pilar Fitzpatrick for voting in a federal election. Fitzpatrick registered to vote in Illinois using the federal “Motor Voter” registration form. Fitzpatrick’s criminal act is one more example demonstrating that non-citizens voting in American elections is not a myth. The opinion by the Board of Immigration appeals stated: On August 5, 2005, she applied for an Illinois driver’s license and signed a voter registration application in which...

On January 23, 1975, in a courthouse in Portland, OR, I sat with many other grateful immigrants and listened as a local judge, himself the son of immigrants fron Eastern Europe, congratulated us and expounded on our new responsibilities as American citizens. He was as teary eyed as we were. Among our group was an 80 year old Jew from Poland. She had escaped with her family during the 1930s and had raised her children in America to be good citizens and to prosper. She cried and kept saying "Thank you" and we cried with her. Her attorney grandson explained...

Celebrating the ethnic diversity of America, President Barack Obama said more than two dozen foreign-born service members who became U.S. citizens at a White House ceremony on the Fourth of July are vivid reminders that the country is, and always has been, a nation of immigrants. He said the vast range of backgrounds and experiences that made America a melting pot for more than 200 years also makes it stronger, but that the immigration system has to be retooled for the U.S. to keep its place as the greatest nation on earth. "If we want to keep attracting the best...

Via TheBlaze, watch this and remember that these are the people who decide elections. Not you, not the lefties you see on Twitter breathing into paper bags about Thomas Piketty. It’s these people, the proverbial low-information voters, who somehow can’t identify a guy who’s been vice president for five years now and are still trying to master this whole legislative-executive-judicial thing. They’re the swing voters in 2016. Now try to sleep soundly tonight — if you dare.But first, explain to me what the point of this is. It can’t be … this, can it? Tony Hernandez, co-founder of the Immigrant...

For immigrants working toward the American Dream, some employers are now helping them reach their dream of becoming Americans. Health clinics, hotels and a clothing factory are pairing up with immigrant advocates to offer on-site citizenship assistance as one of the perks of the job in greater Los Angeles, Miami, Washington and Silicon Valley as they aim to make naturalization more convenient for the 8.5 million legal immigrants eligible to become U.S. citizens. The effort is billed as a win-win for both employee and employers: Workers avoid legal fees and having to shuttle to and from law offices to complete...

At a pre-Independence Day naturalization ceremony at the Treasury Department Wednesday, Treasury Secretary Jack Lew used about one-third of his address to a roomful of newly sworn-in citizens to criticize the America’s immigration system and plug the current immigration legislation. According to prepared remarks, he told these newest Americans that "too many immigrants do not get a fair shot at the American dream. Too often, they are forced to live and work in the shadows." After singling out the stories of some of the new citizens and what America held for them, Lew continued [emphasis added]: ...You see, immigration is...

A friend of mine made this comment to me via email: It seems to me that the surviving Tsarnaev brother's legal status as a US citizen should be nullified since he must have taken the oath of allegiance under false pretense. If it can be nullified then he would lose the protections afforded him as a citizen. What do you think?

The following is wholly my opinion and may contain factual or historical inaccuracies, but I did try to weed out what I could. My blog, my rules. I am reminded of the saying, "Be careful what you wish for, because you just might get it." Citizenship is a weighty issue. With it comes responsibilities and benefits, many of which aren't clearly taught in civics classes these days. First and foremost though, with citizenship the flag and the U.S. Constitution will follow. In American Samoa we have had the US flag flying over our islands for the past 100+ years since...

WASHINGTON, DC - On July 4, 2012, President Obama will deliver remarks at a naturalization ceremony for active duty service members in the East Room of the White House. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Alejandro Mayorkas will present the countries of the candidates for naturalization and Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano will deliver the oath of allegiance. The audience will be composed of the service members and their families. Other Senior Administration Officials will also be speaking at naturalization ceremonies around the country, including Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis in New York, Small Business Administrator Karen Mills and...

President Obama will celebrate July 4 tomorrow at the White House with a naturalization ceremony, the White House announced today. The president will be joined by Department of Homeland Security secretary Janet Napolitano. "On July 4, President Obama will deliver remarks at a naturalization ceremony for active duty service members in the East Room. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Alejandro Mayorkas will present the countries of the candidates for naturalization and Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano will deliver the oath of allegiance," a White House press release reads.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (AP) -- A coalition of groups supporting immigrants has recruited teams of volunteers to help push programs they hope will add thousands of new U.S. citizens to the voter rolls in several states in time for the November presidential election. The national push comes after Democratic President Barack Obama has failed to deliver on promised immigration reforms in his first years in office and his likely opponent, Mitt Romney, adopted harsh rhetoric on illegal immigration to win support from conservatives while campaigning for the GOP nomination. The Department of Homeland Security says an estimated 12.6 million people were...

1859 Official Opinion of US Admin 1859 Opinion of US Attorney General