U.S. Department of State Corrected by Judge- Citizenship at Birth Case
You may have seen a puzzling article in the news some time ago about the U.S. government determining that one of the twins of a same-sex couple was a U.S. citizen and that the other was not. Fortunately, this story now has a happier ending.
To provide some background information- Although the twins were born only minutes apart, one of the children was genetically related to the U.S. citizen dad and the other was genetically related to the non-U.S. citizen dad.
The U.S. Department of State initially determined that the child genetically related to the U.S. citizen dad was a U.S. citizen at birth while the other child was not due to the State Department's policy related to Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART). The parents of these boys then sued the State Department.
In late February, Federal District Court Judge John F. Walter for the Central District of California determined that the child not genetically related to the U.S. citizen father should be a U.S. citizen at birth as U.S. immigration law does not require a genetic proof for a child born to a married U.S. citizen parent and an alien parent.
The U.S. Department of State has not yet announced the updated policy.
If you believe that you may have acquired U.S. citizenship at birth or you have a U.S. citizen parent or grandparent, you may want to consult with an immigration attorney regarding your case. Attorney Rebecca Carcagno practices immigration law and provides a free consultation. You may schedule one here.
***Please keep in mind that this blog posting is for educational purposes only (i.e., to give you general information and a general understanding of this immigration related matter); this blog posting does not provide specific legal advice and does not form an attorney-client relationship.***
Sources:
(1) https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/22/us/gay-couple-twin-sons-citizenship.html
(2) http://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid%3AUSC-prelim-title8-section1401&num=0&edition=prelim
Rebecca Carcagno Rodriguez The Law Offices of Rebecca Carcagno, PLLC 3830 Packard St Suite 240 Ann Arbor, MI 48108
