Essay On US Citizenship

Citizenship can be defined as the position or status of being a citizen in a particular country (Oxford Dictionaries, 2016). This definition is not very broad, nor does it cover the many aspects of citizenship that exist in the 21st century. It is not only about being a legal citizen of a particular country, it is also about being a social citizen. You can be a citizen of Australia but choose to live elsewhere for the majority of your life. In terms of citizenship it is relevant on a political and social level. If you are actively contributing to the country in which you live in some ways you are fulfilling your duties as a citizen.

I believe that the ability to understand the world around you can tremendously influence a person. I have had the honors to experience many situations that broadened my perspectives in life. When I immigrated to America in 2006, I had no clue how greatly my education will be affected. Because my parents did not know any English, I had to accomplish all the work by myself. I understood their struggles of trying to put dinner on the table so I tried not to complain. They had given up their old life in Vietnam to give me a better education and opportunities, I did not want their effort to go in vain. Through my whole academic career, I pushed myself to do everything to my fullest potential because I have been given the opportunity that many other

Over a century ago, the 14th Amendment of the United States Constitution was implemented to grant citizenship to individuals born within the country. This was the first time that it was defined what it means to be a citizen in the U.S. While the amendment was created to address the citizenship of slaves, it is currently under speculation in regards to granting U.S. citizenship to children born to undocumented immigrants (Gans, 2012). While there have been many arguments to place restrictions or eradicate granting children of undocumented immigrants U.S. citizenship, the constitutional right remains the same: if you are born on U.S. land, you are a citizen (Angelo, 2013). This paper argues that the birthright citizenship of U.S. born children of undocumented immigrants should continue to be granted based on the underlying principles of the 14th Amendment and the possible implications of ending birthright citizenship. First, this paper describes birthright citizenship and the 14th Amendment, as well as its use in several Supreme Court cases that are significant to this issue. Then, various implications of eradicating birthright citizenship are discussed. Before discussing the possible consequences of eradicating birthright citizenship, it is imperative to discuss the history and principles underlying it.

Another controversial assumption made by advocates who want to see a change in birthright citizenship is that unauthorized immigrants and their U.S. born children place a drain on many social resources. When an unauthorized immigrant has a child born in the U.S., that child has access to all the social resources that U.S. children born to legal citizens are entitled to. It is believed that undocumented immigrants do not pay taxes and come to America with the sole intentions of living on welfare. Evidence provided by the Social Security Administration, contends that there are taxes that cannot be matched to workers’ names and social security numbers. This is also known as a “suspense file” and it has grown by twenty billion dollars in recent years. Migrants and undocumented immigrants contribute more in taxes and social contributions than they will ever receive in individual benefits (Van Hook and Fix 2010). Immigrants earn about $240 billion a year, they pay about $90 billion a year in taxes but only use roughly $5 billion in public benefits (Van Hook and Fix 2010). In

According to the Oxford dictionary the term citizenship can be defined as: “The state of being vested with the rights and privileges, and duties of a citizen.” In the short story ‘Borders’ by Thomas King the term citizenship is of main focus. Through the many borders that are presented within the story, King argues that citizenship overlooks culture and heritage, instead focusing on a single border: that being where the individual resides. The short story is narrated from the young boy’s perspective, as him and his mother struggle to cross the Canadian-American border to visit the young boy’s sister Latitia. The young boy and his mother are not able to cross the border

Many mornings i would wake up to the mouth watering smell of Sancocho, a traditional latin hot stew with chicken, carrots, plantains, corn and potatoes.Loud Bachata would be playing in the kitchen as my mother cooked. The warm,rolled and cascading sounds of the guitar filled the house . “Llora guitarra llora!!” my silly father would say scream off the top of his lungs, enjoying the music as he read the morning paper and family would all laugh at the comment.

Imagine needing to move to a new country because of violence, limited job opportunities, or an oppressive government. Now imagine finding out it may take up to 20 years to get out of that dangerous environment. This is the reality millions of immigrants trying to come to America face every day. In order to become a US citizen, one must first possess a Green Card for at least 5 years, be at least 18 years of age at the time of filing for citizenship, be able to read, write, and speak basic English, submit an N-400 form, take the US Naturalization Test, and have a personal interview to determine if said immigrant is a person of good moral character. This process takes at least 5 years, and that’s if said immigrant does not run into any troubles with filing. Because of this lengthy process, millions of immigrants, many with

If you were to buy a fresh pair of Nike's from a street vendor and when you get home, the `N' falls off uncovering an `S', do you still consider them Nike's? Honestly, look at what they really are. They are Sike's. No matter how hard they try to be Nike's, they will always be Sike's. You can cover the `S' with an `N' but can you ever really replace the `S'? No, you can not, so why should an illegal immigrant gain American citizenship rights just because they were born in America?

Today the Society is split into three separately minded groups. In no specific ordering, the first is determined to believe that any one person born in the United States is a citizen and which means their parents should become citizens along with them. These are the ones whom obtain “birthright citizenship” (Raul). The second are firm believers in the only ones that should be citizens are the ones who go through the proper process of becoming a citizen and according to the article in “USA today,” it states that illegal immigrants are “having babies as a way to obtain citizenship,” which too many Americans “cheapens the whole idea of being American”. The last group is the “other” the ones whom are completely neutral or believe in the

Becoming a citizen of the United States is a very lengthy process. Not just anyone can become a citizen of the United States. There are many requirements and responsibilities to becoming a citizen, whether it is of the United States or any other country. Being a citizen of the United States is a very special privilege. The people who do become a citizen should be very lucky and proud to be the citizen of the United States. Even though they do become citizens of the United States they shouldn't forget about their own country either, but share the joyfulness.

Immigration has developed into an onerous and exhausting process. Generally, to apply for a green card or visa they would have to fall under one of four categories; employment, certain family ties, refugee or asylum processing, and diversity lottery. Each group has its own limitations on how many visas they can give out and many immigrants do not qualify under any of these categories, therefore they cannot obtain a visa.(immigrationpolicy.org) Under the current limitations of how many visas each country receives, many countries like Mexico and China are “oversubscribed”, meaning any petitions received after the cutoff date are not assigned a visa number. This creates unreasonable wait times for some to be reunited

Every year people from all over the world, leaving their homes and moving to the United States. These people are willing to sacrifice themselves in the hope to start a new life, to find an opportunity for financial support for their families, to give a chance for their children have a better future in the safe country. Some of them immigrate in order to find freedom or relief from political and religious persecution. Each of these brave persons has a big reason to leave a Homeland, family, friends, work and all elements of a human’s life without even a possibility to come back home one day. According to recent changes in the immigration law of the U.S., not everyone, who is

From its origin the United States has been called a nation of immigrants. It is a melting pot for countless cultures, religions, and races. Our immigrant past has helped create a national character. Our country attracts the most brilliant people from all around the world from the highly educated to the hardworking immigrants. Unfortunately, due to the broken immigration system it is extremely difficult for anyone to obtain a visa or green card to enter the United States legally. The Immigration Policy Center says that most undocumented immigrants do not posses the required family relationship to apply for legal entry. However, those who do have a family relationship face years or even decades waiting for a visa.

I believe the value of my US citizenship is big. Majority of the world knows about the United States, and have an opinion. I have met so many International students from my University that wish they could have a US citizenship, mainly due to the freedom that comes with being American. Most of the International students I have met are from Japan, or other Asian countries, which are countries that are more collective. This means that everyone has to filter the way they act, so it benefits the society. These countries also have major status separation with status. If someone of higher status be it age or career, asks for something from a subordinate, they are required to do it. There is also big part of society in these countries that are unwritten and unspoken, but is known by society. America puts an emphasis on being individuals. If a superior asked a subordinate something unreasonable, the subordinate can reject the request, under certain circumstances. Both countries have pros and cons when it involves with society, this particular part reminds me why I value my US citizenship.

Current events in the world today has us facing some of the same challenges that post World War II citizens had to go through. For example there are millions of refuges fleeing war torn countries such as Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and parts of Africa. Many countries have stopped accepting most of these immigrants because