A non-United States citizen of exceptional merit may be declared an Honorary Citizen of the United States by an Act of Congress, or by a proclamation issued by the President pursuant to authorization granted by Congress. Article I section 8 clause 4 of the United States Constitution expressly gives the United States Congress the power to establish a uniform rule of naturalization The President of the United States is the Head of state and Head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in United States by The United States Congress is the bicameral Legislature of the federal government of the United States of America, consisting of two houses As of 2008, six people have had this honor bestowed upon them (the seventh has been unanimously recognized by the Senate and is awaiting House of Representatives action and the President's signature), and only two of them were so honored during their lifetime:
- General Lafayette, a Frenchman who was an officer in the American Revolution, posthumously, (1824, 2002) [1]
- Winston Churchill, British Prime Minister during World War II, (1963)
- Raoul Wallenberg, Swedish diplomat who rescued Jews in the Holocaust, posthumously, (1981)
- William Penn, 17th and 18th century proprietor and governor of the American colony of Pennsylvania, posthumously, (1984)
- Hannah Callowhill Penn, second wife of William Penn and administrator of Pennsylvania, posthumously, (1984)
- Mother Teresa, Albanian Catholic nun, who founded the Missionaries of Charity in India. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, KG, OM, CH, TD, FRS, PC, PC (Can ( 30 November 1874 World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including Raoul Wallenberg (August 4 1912 &ndash July 17 1947? was a Swedish Humanitarian of the prominent Swedish Wallenberg family who worked in Budapest William Penn ( October 14, 1644 – July 30, 1718) was founder and "Absolute Proprietor" of the Province of Pennsylvania, The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania ( often colloquially referred to as PA (its abbreviation by natives and Northeasterners is a state located in the Northeastern Hannah Callowhill Penn ( February 11, 1671 - December 20, 1726) was the second wife of Pennsylvania founder William Penn William Penn ( October 14, 1644 – July 30, 1718) was founder and "Absolute Proprietor" of the Province of Pennsylvania, The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania ( often colloquially referred to as PA (its abbreviation by natives and Northeasterners is a state located in the Northeastern Mother Teresa, Blessed Teresa of Calcutta, (born August 26, 1910 – September 5, 1997) was an Albanian ref>Spink Catholic is an Adjective derived from the Greek adjective '' / 'katholikos' meaning "whole" or "complete". Missionaries of Charity is a Roman Catholic religious order established in 1950 by Mother Teresa of Calcutta, which consists of over 4500 Nuns India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country (1996). [2]
In the case of the Marquis de La Fayette, the last person to be granted honorary citizenship as of 2007, the honor was proclaimed directly by Act of Congress. This was also the case for Mother Theresa. In some of the previous cases, an Act of Congress was passed authorizing the president to grant honorary citizenship by proclamation.
Kazimierz Pułaski, Polish General, who fought in the American Revolution, is in the process of having it granted (March 19, 2007 unanimously voted by the Senate; awaiting House of Representatives action and the President's signature)
In February 2007, news services reported that Representative Steve Israel had submitted a bill seeking honorary citizenship for Anne Frank, whose family was denied refuge in the United States during World War II. For things named to honor Kazimierz Pułaski see Pulaski. Kazimierz Pułaski of Clan Ślepowron ( often written Casimir Pulaski Events 1279 - A Mongolian victory in the Battle of Yamen ends the Song Dynasty in China. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. For the football player of the same name see Steve Israel (football player. Annelies Marie "Anne" Frank ( (12 June 1929 – early March 1945 was a Jewish girl born in the city of Frankfurt am Main in Weimar Germany World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including Representative Israel said that Anne Frank "has come to represent the 1. 5 million Jewish children killed during the Holocaust that were denied the chance to leave a lasting mark on the world. For the many readers of her diary, Anne Frank is a symbol of bravery and hope and is a personal link to the heartbreaking tragedy of the Holocaust. "[3]
A periodic segment on The Late Late Show documents host Craig Ferguson's progress in obtaining honorary citizenship. The Late Late Show is an American late-night television talk and variety show currently hosted by Craig Ferguson on CBS. Craig Ferguson (born May 17, 1962) is a Scottish - American Television host, Stand-up comedian, Writer, and A number of governors and mayors have granted him honorary state or city citizenship, including the states of Alaska and Nevada. Alaska ( Аляска Alyaska) is a state in the United States of America, in the northwest of the North American continent Nevada ( is a state located in the western region of the United States of America. [4] This campaign should not be taken seriously; according to the show, "honorary citizenship is legally meaningless. " However, Ferguson obtained regular U. S. citizenship by the usual means of naturalization in 2008. Naturalization is the acquisition of Citizenship or Nationality by somebody who was not a citizen or national of that country when he or she was born [5]
An Honorary Citizen of the United States does not appear to have the same rights as a regular US citizen. For example, 7 FAM 1172 from the Foreign Affairs Manual of the State Department states explicitly that honorary US citizens are not eligible for US passports. At present, it is unclear what rights honorary citizenship bestows to an individual, if any at all.
Honorary citizenship is not to be confused with citizenship or permanent residency bestowed by a private bill. A private bill is an act considered or acted upon by a Legislature that helps a single individual group of individuals or corporate entity by affording relief from another Private bills are, on rare occasions, used to provide relief to individuals, often in immigration cases, and are also passed by Congress and signed into law by the President. One such statute, granting Elian Gonzalez U. The custody and Immigration status of a young Cuban boy Elián González (born December 6, 1993) was at the center of a heated controversy S. citizenship, was suggested in 1999, but was never enacted [6].
See also
Notes
- ^ Public Law 107-209
- ^ H. J.Res.191
- ^ Steve Israel proposes a bill to grant Honorary Citizenship to Anne Frank Yahoo! News, February 27, 2007.
- ^ The Late Late Show, episode first aired on June 27, 2007
- ^ Craig Ferguson passes citizenship test. The Late Late Show is the world's longest-running Chat show and officially the flagship television programme of Irish broadcasting company Events 1358 - Republic of Dubrovnik is founded 1709 - Peter the Great defeats Charles XII of Sweden Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Associated Press (via USATODAY. com), January 28, 2008.
- ^ Helms says he aims to offer U.S. citizenship to Elian Gonzalez. CNN, December 23, 1999.
External links
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