How Do You Become A U.S. Citizen? | AJ+

Birthright citizenship has become a point of contention in the debate about U.S. immigration. It's one of several ways to become a U.S. citizen, but it hasn't always been open to everyone, and some critics want to eliminate birthright citizenship altogether.

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Music tracks courtesy of Audio Networks.
Footage and images courtesy of Reuters, Library of Congress, Getty Images, National Archives.

Presented by: Imaeyen Ibanga
Written by: Kathryn Wheeler
Edited by: Brian Joseph
Animations by: Kai Tang
Produced by: Imaeyen Ibanga and Kathryn Wheeler

[carson]

This girl really just said “spoiler it’s not white men.” She is a fr feminist

[millzismail]

My parents were legal immigrants and I'm so proud to be born in the United States
🇺🇸

[Yurinsm]

Birthright citizenship (jus soli) is a thing mostly from the american continent, because they had to create a path to build the american nationalities by breaking the bloodline tradition of the European states as well as putting the slaves and natives aside.

[scythra]

I'm from Sweden wanna be a American citizen it's boring in my country TBH😥 I feel like I fit in USA more

[CaMiLuChIs]

0:14 this speaks to me because I moved to the USA when I turned 1 years old and they made me leave which breaks my heart because I was practically raised there so why am I considered a bug among a bear 😓💔

[jborden]

Does anyone know why Birthright citizenship isn't a common thing around the globe? It's definitely food for thought. 🤔

[ProfeCreepyAdventures]

"give them a work permit and while they're working here, they pay taxes here. And then if they want to go back they can go back so that you open the border both ways"
-Ronald Reagan.

[marklane]

My father was a born and bred US citizen, he served in the US air force, can I put in for US CITIZENSHIP,

[SergeH]

US citizen? no thanks. I don't wanna be a ignorant who think that send troops to another countrys is for defense "the American liberty"

[defundthepoliticians.]

Come to the US legally and wait five years.

I wouldn't accept US citizenship even if it came with cash.

[gauravkotian]

first. good one. informative and well presented.

[VonckenLOTR]

because there are better ways of citizenship than birthright citizenship. It should not matter where you are born to qualify for citizenship, it matters who you are born to. If your parents are citizens, you are. Everyone should safely be allowed to apply for legal citizenship and once that is granted your descendants should not have to care for it again. But even I, a European who is more left than the socialists in my country, think that there is a problem with illegal immigration in the US. only not as dumbfounded as Trump puts it. The DREAM Act could have created a pathway, and I see that as a far better alternative then birthright citizenship. Jus Solis does not really make sense

[angelixa]

If I'm 16 years old and I want to study in the US (then after I finish my studies, live in the US) what do I have to do?

[jonathanakerele]

If the Union splits apart and states opt to become individual nations that could throw the whole immigration debate into all new territory as Latinos go the country of Nevada or Hawaii or Arizona to try to gain citizenship and might get denied if that country says "We don't want your kind around here!" That's one thing no one is taking into account given all the secession suspicions floating around. I think part of the problem is individual states can do whatever they want and schools can admit whatever kids without knowing their status (until you get to college). It would be nice if there were immigration offices in every state and country and if people knew where they were so they could just go to them the same way to go to the DMV to get your driver's license renewed and fill out some paperwork. It shouldn't be THAT hard to become a citizen but I guess in different states, cities, and counties there is lack of awareness of where offices are to apply for citizenship and I guess that process is much slower than the process of getting a state I.D. if you were born a citizen which is kind of messed up and leads to all kinds of confusion when families get separated and harassed and treated like violent offenders. I can still remember that heartbreaking video of that adolescent girl in the backseat crying while recording her father being arrested and taken away from his car and family by I.C.E. officials. Terrible! =(

[jaz]

just wondering am i an immigrant if i was born in the uk, i’m 15 and this question is stupid.

[jakubdabrowski]

Im from poland and i Just want to live in USA go to work and pay taxes why is it so complicated

[xsellepoch]

It’s not just the US that has birthright citizenship, virtually every country in the Western Hemisphere, including Canada and Mexico, and all major Latin American countries, have it as well. That’s because since these countries were founded by colonists and settlers, with the government having little or no control over the actual Native American populations, they wanted to encourage immigration from the Old World to build up their population base. So, in other words, the reason why these countries have birthright citizenship is because they were actively encouraging people to immigrate to them because they were so underpopulated at the time.

[UnnTHPS]

I was born in Poland and lived here all my life. My biggest dream is to move to the US, but right now it's just impossible to do it legally. I might just go there and stay undocumented, I'm white so nobody will check my papers right?

[teg]

Okay, so then what do you do about all the people that come to this country illegally, and they don't want to learn the english, and they don't want to get job's? I work for the food stamps and Medicaid office for the state of Texas, trust me there's a lot more of them in this country than you think, there have been people in this country for 15 years they don't have a job and don't speak a lick of English... remember not everyone who comes to this country is trying to support their family, unfortunately some just want handouts... NOT saying everybody does but there's are a surprisingly amount that do.