In a extremely publicized case, the State Division knowledgeable Siavash Sobhani, an Iranian-heritage medical physician dwelling and dealing in Virginia, that he had been mistakenly approved for American citizenship some 30 years in the past. Officers declined to resume his U.S. passport.

Sobhani’s father had been a overseas diplomat, posted to the Iranian embassy in Washington, the place his son was born. American officers had confused whether or not the daddy was on the so-called “blue checklist” or “white checklist” of accredited overseas mission employees on the time.

Beneath State Division’s difficult guidelines, infants born on this nation to blue-list diplomats will not be thought of U.S. residents, whereas white-list offspring, born from mother and father who’re usually administrative or consular employees, are deemed full People. This unusual consequence ignores the truth that, in each instances, the overseas mother and father are briefly in our nation, employed by one other authorities or worldwide group, and having fun with distinctive diplomatic privileges or immunities. The State Division’s Workplace of Overseas Missions (OFM) is charged with maintaining with the distinctions and managing this doubtful system.

Categorizing overseas officers on one checklist or one other could be a tough matter, usually manipulated by unscrupulous overseas missions that search to assist a pregnant feminine staffer start an American citizen. Because the Sobhani case demonstrates, OFM’s essential operate, if not completed proper, can lead to wrongly handing out U.S. passports.

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[Read the rest at The American Conservative]