Am I a Citizen?

For my own sanity I try not to try to make any sense of what the Cheeto flea and the billionaire minions are doing. Unchecked greed and thirst for power is just a way to compensate for having a small penis in my opinion.

But the attempt to stop people who are born here from becoming a citizen got under my skin. It’s so ridiculous, I can’t help myself. Every single person who lives in the US who is not Indigenous came from somewhere else, and so, if being born here does not qualify us for citizenship, no one except Indigenous people are American citizens. And while we’re at it, let’s also gloss over the fact of the millions of African people and others who were shipped across the Atlantic against their will got some good old fashioned America slavery.

It’s of course not about that; it’s about making sure other Black and Brown people can’t become citizens by being born here. And my little corner of immigration doesn’t count because, hey, I’m a white person and my immigrant father and immigrant grandparents came from acceptable white places like Quebec and the Netherlands. But because I’m irritated, let’s do a little thought experiment, shall we?

My father came here from the Netherlands in 1950 after WWII. Very shortly after, still an immigrant mind you, he was drafted to fight in the Korean conflict (1950-1953). So let that sink in. No special treatment for immigrants that people seem to fear. Seems even a little unfair, but OK, you’re the right age, you are in the country, so go fight for it. Luckily for him, his knowledge of multiple languages landed him in Japan, and he did not experience any combat. He was granted citizenship as a reward for being in the Army. I’m not sure exactly when, but just for shits and giggles, let’s say it was after he met my mother and after my sister was born in 1958.

My mother’s parents’ families migrated from Quebec somewhere the 1920s. My grandmother was about 6 and my grandfather was 12 or 13. I realized I don’t know when, how, or if my grandparents became citizens. I know they got social security, but that doesn’t really mean anything. I never heard them talk about a citizenship ceremony or a citizenship papers. Mostly they told stories about surviving in this country during the Depression while losing a baby to illness because they were poor, how they worked hard, and how they built a house and small vacation cottage with their own hands, raised 3 children, and did better than their parents in Quebec who were poor farmers. Those immigrants get all the breaks, don’t they?

Since I don’t know if or when they became citizens, if we go along with Cheeto flea’s delusional ideas, my mother, who was born here may not have been a citizen. And if she and my father were not citizens when they had us, I along with my 3 siblings are also not citizens.

And so where do you draw the line about birth? How many generations do you need to qualify?

And in a fantastic twist, my cousin, who was actually born here to my father’s sister, and moved back to the Netherlands when she was 2 is an American citizen. Well, she was. She has never acted on the citizenship, except when she received a notice that as a US citizen she owed the government back taxes. Even though she never worked here, never lived here as an adult, or took advantage of any “benefit” American citizenship might offer. She’s perfectly happy with her Netherlands citizenship, thank you.

After months of trying to sort through what she needed to do, sending actual paperwork and documents to the various bureaucracies, she finally got the opportunity to decline her citizenship. The woman who was handling the case was slightly incredulous: “Are you sure?” she repeated. My cousin affirmed she was very sure. Who knew there were other countries people would rather live in, like the Netherlands!

So, am I a citizen? My passport says yes, but a piece of paper is only as good as the regime that’s trying to take it away. Only 3 years and 5 months to go.