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Naturalization Act of 1790
This was the first attempt at regulating citizenship in the US. The provisions were quite simple:
- One must have "good moral character"
- And two years of residence in the US -
United States v. Wong Kim Ark
United States v. Wong Kim Ark was a US Supreme Court decision that ruled that a person becomes a citizen of the United States at the time of birth, by virtue of the first clause of the 14th Amendment, if that person is:
- Born in the US
- Has parents that are subjects of a foreign power, but not in any diplomatic or official capacity of that foreign power
- Has parents that have permanent domicile and residence in the US
- Or has parents that are in the US for business. -
Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952
This law outlined the process and regulations of citizenship for people born in any outlying possessions of the US. This law stated that anyone born in the US possessions were treated the same as if they were born in the US in that they were automatic citizens. The only exception is that they are not recognized at "natural-born" citizens, which restricts running for some political offices. -
Afroyim v. Rusk
This set an important legal precedent that a person born of naturalized in the US cannot be deprived of his or her citizenship involuntarily. In this case, the US government had attempted to revoke the citizenship of a man who had voted in a foreign election after becoming a naturalized US citizen, but the Supreme Court ruled that his right to keep his citizenship was guaranteed by the 14th Amendment. -
"Jus Sanguinis" Laws
These laws provided a process for people born outside of the US to parents who are both US citizens. It states that if both parents are citizens of the US and they were married, then the child receives automatic citizenship and CAN be considered "natural-born". -
Eligability for Public Office
This was a set of articles that provided information about who can run for public office. The laws have been revised many times. Today, the only offices that requires the office-holder to be natural-born are President of the US and Vice-President of the US. It also states that if a person is a citizen of the US, regardless of whether they are natural-born, they are eligable for any other public office. -
Child Citizenship Act of 2000
This act provided that a non-US citizen child (aged under 18) with a US citizen parent, and in the legal custody of that parent, automatically acquired US citizenship. -
USA PATRIOT Act
"Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism." The act dramatically reduced restrictions on law enforcement agencies' ability to search telephone, e-mail communications, medical, financial, and other records; and eased restrictions on foreign intelligence gathering within the United States. -
US Citizenship and Immigration Services
This is an office in the US Department of Homeland Security created after the September 11th attacks. Its main responsibility is to promote national security by enforcing and maintaining immigration and citizenship laws and regulations. -
Homeland Security Act of 2002
This act formally created the United States Department of Homeland Security in responce to the September 11th attacks.
