Mr. President. the Supreme Court agreed on Monday. October 28. 1963. to review the constitutionality of the law that takes citizenship away from naturalized American citizens who return to their country of origin and live there for 3 years or more. The issue arises in the case of Angelica L. Schneider. a young woman who came to this country from Germany. was naturalized. returned to Germany in 1956 to continue her academic studies. where she married a German national and where she settled. In 1959. Mrs. Schneider had her American citizenship revoked under the onerous terms of section 352 of the Immigration and Nationality Act. She appealed this administrative determination. but lost in a specially empaneled threeman Federal court by a vote of 2 to 1. This is the case the Supreme Court has agreed to review. Shortly after the Schneider case was decided initially by the Federal court. I introduced legislation. S. 1641. which would repeal that section of the Immigration Act under which this woman lost her citizenship. I did so for very compelling reasons. This law works an inequitable hardship on a number of naturalized citizensthe press reports some 1.200 persons lost their citizenship in a recent 12month period under this statutefor it in effect says that this country recognizes two classes of citizens. the native born or first class. and the naturalized or second class. This cannot square with any reasonable persons sense of justice. Either one is a fullfledged citizen of this country. or he is not.
Keywords matched
Immigration naturalized