Three babies about to be born at the Emergency Refugee Shelter at Oswego, N.Y. are raising citizenship questions which are puzzling the best legal brains of Washington’s Treasury, Justice, and Interior Departments. The question involved is, Are these babies about to be born on United States soil entitled to United States citizenship?
War Relocation Authority officials have thrown up their hands at the question and expect it to go to the Attorney General for solution. The Department of Justice frankly admits that it does not now have the answer.
According to U.S. immigration and naturalization laws, any person born on United States soil, regardless of the nationality of the parents, is entitled to U.S. citizenship. Is Fort Ontario United States soil? Do the children of refugees in this country on an emergency basis thus become Americans?
In view of the number of newly weds among the refugees-there have been several marriages since the group reached the United States–the number of puzzlers for the legal staffs of Washington Departments may be expected to increase in number beyond the present prospective three.
Help ensure Jewish news remains accessible to all. Your donation to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency powers the trusted journalism that has connected Jewish communities worldwide for more than 100 years. With your help, JTA can continue to deliver vital news and insights. Donate today.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
