WWII vet discovers he's not an American citizen

jds011 · 03-24-2011, 03:52 PM

WWII vet discovers he’s not a U.S. citizen
By Liz Goodwin

Quote:

Ninety-five-year-old Leeland Davidson discovered recently that he's not a U.S. citizen, despite living nearly 100 years in the country and serving in the U.S. Navy during WWII.
Davidson, from Centralia, Washington, told KOMO News that he discovered he wasn't a U.S. citizen when he was turned down for an enhanced driver's license he needed for a trip to Canada to visit relatives.
"We always figured because he was born to U.S. parents he's automatically a U.S. citizen," said Davidson's daughter, Rose Schoolcroft.
Davidson was born in British Columbia in 1916. He checked up on his citizenship before joining the Navy and was told by an inspector at the U.S. Department of Labor Immigration and Naturalization Service he had nothing to worry about. Now he worries that he won't be able to prove his citizenship, because his parents were born in Iowa before local governments started keeping records of birth certificates in 1880. "I want it squared away before I pass away," he says.
Schoolcraft says they tried to dissuade him from pursuing the matter. Employees at the local passport office scared them, telling her father "If he pursued it, (he could) possibly be deported or at risk of losing Social Security."
"We keep telling him, leave it alone, leave it alone, and he won't, like a dog with a bone," Schoolcraft told the Centralia Chronicle. But Davidson says: "I want to get it done before I die." He also still wants to visit his friends and family in Canada. Sen Patty Murray's office is helping him with his application.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_theloo...-a-u-s-citizen

nickbroken · 09:35 AM

ble standard.

txdream · 03-24-2011, 04:41 PM

I say f**** the system, your good enough to die for this country but not good enough to be a citizen.

Alex QA · 03-24-2011, 04:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by txdream

I say f**** the system, your good enough to die for this country but not good enough to be a citizen.

the system don't see us as people but numbers,

dreamact1982 · 03-24-2011, 05:11 PM

Mr Leeland Davidson...WELCOME TO AMERICAN DREAM!....Now go travel to speak to Mr Tancredo..Plain Disgusting! I have no words

Jelly Bean Lover · 03-24-2011, 06:34 PM

He has been here long enough to get papers through the registry date, though he is obviously a citizen. He should challenge this, because it makes so obvious all the problems of our immigration system

tyler129 · 03-24-2011, 06:57 PM

it's official. hatred against undocumented is due not because of "illegal is illegal," but because of scarcity in jobs.

manindark · 03-24-2011, 07:10 PM

LOL fail!!

ShadesOfGray · 03-25-2011, 12:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nickbroken

I was going to post this, and point out after reading the comments on yahoo how it is a double standard.

Quote:

Originally Posted by 01234

If this guys was named Jose yet under the same circumstances we'd have very different comments.

I was thinking the EXACT same thing! How many times has there been a story about a DREAMER that is undocumented because his parents didn't fill out the proper paperwork for him like they were supposed to (like this guy!) and people in the comment sections write how he is pretty much scum-of-the-earth and has to be kicked out ASAP! But this guy is technically ILLEGAL because of the same circumstances, but somehow it's different? What happened to ILLEGAL is ILLEGAL! Apparently the illegality of the person and/or act is not REALLY what they have a problem with!

Jelly Bean Lover · 03-25-2011, 03:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ShadesOfGray

I was thinking the EXACT same thing! How many times has there been a story about a DREAMER that is undocumented because his parents didn't fill out the proper paperwork for him like they were supposed to (like this guy!) and people in the comment sections write how he is pretty much scum-of-the-earth and has to be kicked out ASAP! But this guy is technically ILLEGAL because of the same circumstances, but somehow it's different? What happened to ILLEGAL is ILLEGAL! Apparently the illegality of the person and/or act is not REALLY what they have a problem with!

I agree with you that there is a racist element behind many Americans' fears toward illegal immigration, but this guy is not illegal. His parents were American citizens, which makes him an American citizen, regardless of where he was born. We should not concede the point that he is illegal, because this will end up denying citizenship to many people who should get it.

Moreover, even if he were illegal, his situation is hardly the equivalent of a Dreamer, because--assuming he has been continuously present in the United States since World War II--he could petition for citizenship since he meets the qualifications set by the current registry date for people who entered without papers before the 1970s. As I said before, he should challenge their attempts to deny his citizenship, because even if his case went against him, he could still get papers using the registry exception.

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WWII vet discovers he's not an American citizen