Bookmark this post, y’all. You’re going to want it when you next teach citizenship.
Imagine a 61-year old doctor in Northern Virginia. He applies to renew his U.S. passport by mail, something he’s done several times before. Only this time, the State Department informs him that he is ineligible to receive a passport because, they’ve determined, he’s not a U.S. citizen at all. Why not? The doctor was born in the United States. He received a U.S. birth certificate. But his dad was a diplomat at the time of his birth, making dad and child not “subject to the jurisdiction” of the U.S. at birth within the meaning of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. constitution.
The Washington Post has the full story.
The State Department encouraged the doctor, Siavash Sobhani, to apply for lawful permanent residence. He has, but, of course, that’s not yet been adjudicated.
In the meantime, the doctor has questions: “Can he still legally practice medicine? Will the money he has earned over his career count toward his Social Security benefits if his Social Security number changes? Will he get to attend his son’s destination wedding next year?”
-KitJ