Introduction to Citizenship Revocation
When US President Donald Trump applied to revoke citizenship and deport people who were born in the US, it sparked a heated debate. Germany, a nation founded in 1871, had a different approach to citizenship, which was ruled by blood law, based on the idea that German citizenship was inherited.
Germany’s Citizenship Law
Citizenship was not granted based on birth in the country, but rather through parentage. However, civil rights did not stop at breed and religion. Around 400,000 Jews in the country, or 80% of the population, held German citizenship in 1933 when Hitler became Chancellor. After 15 years in Germany, foreigners could become citizens.
The Nuremberg Racial Laws
However, this changed shortly after the Nazis came to power. The Nuremberg racial laws of 1935 revoked citizenship and fundamental rights of the German Jewish people. The statute was soon expanded to make Roma and blacks stateless.
Comparing Trump’s Attempt to Revoke Citizenship
But is Trump’s attempt to withdraw citizenship from people whose parents were temporary or without papers really comparable? The US has a long history of granting citizenship to people born in the country, regardless of their parents’ residence status.
Birthright Citizenship in the US
In 1868, the citizenship was anchored by Republicans in the US constitution, who wanted to give citizens’ rights to formerly enslaved African Americans after the civil war. The resulting 14th amendment has become a decisive symbol for a tolerant, multiracial society. The US birthright citizenship was expanded in the late 19th century, and numerous countries in America have anchored citizenship from birth, including Brazil and Argentina.
Countries with Birthright Citizenship
According to the world population review, 35 countries in the world automatically give citizenship to people born there, regardless of their parents’ residence status. For example, German birth law is limited, and Canada and the US are the only two countries with unrestricted citizenship that are also among the top 20 economies.
Legislator Calls Trump Move Authoritarian
"The stripping of citizenship is, of course, a trademark of authoritarianism," said a US Congressman during a debate about the 14th amendment. He referred to the "Reich Citizenship Act", a subsection of the Nuremberg Act, which in 1935 revoked both citizenship and civil rights for German Jews.
The Sanctity of Citizenship
The sanctity of citizenship through birth is something that made the United States unique. "Privileges of citizenship are shared by all people born in our country, not only by people who fall into a certain hereditary classification through breed or national origin."
Recent Developments in Germany
In recent years, Germany has updated its naturalization laws to make it easier for people born in the country to become German citizens. However, the new conservative government of Germany wants to tighten immigration rules, which may reintroduce restrictions on citizenship.
The Supreme Court’s Decision
The Supreme Court of the United States decided in June that the temporary injunction that prohibited the administration from scrapping birth law was ill. However, the court still has to decide the merits of Trump’s attempt to revoke a core tenant of the constitution.
