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LAWS OF THE UNITED STATES INTO A COMPREHENSIVE NATIONALITY CODE

HEARINGS

BEFORE THE

COMMITTEE ON IMMIGRATION AND NATURALIZATION HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

SEVENTY-SIXTH CONGRESS

FIRST SESSION

ON

H. R. 6127

SUPERSEDED BY

H. R. 9980

A BILL TO REVISE AND CODIFY THE NATIONALITY
LAWS OF THE UNITED STATES INTO A COM-

PREHENSIVE NATIONALITY CODE

JANUARY 17, FEBRUARY 13, 20, 27, 28, MARCH 5, APRIL 11, 16, 23 MAY 2, 3, 7, 9, 13, 14, AND JUNE 5, 1940

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TO REVISE AND CODIFY THE NATIONALITY LAWS OF THE UNITED STATES INTO A COMPREHENSIVE NATIONALITY CODE

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 17, 1940

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,

COMMITTEE ON IMMIGRATION AND NATURALIZATION,

Washington, D. C. The Committee on Immigration and Naturalization met in the hearing room, Old House Office Building, at 10:55 a. m., Hon. Samuel Dickstein (chairman of the committee) presiding.

The CHAIRMAN. The committee now has under consideration H. R. 6127, a bill to revise and codify the nationality laws of the United States into a comprehensive nationality code.

Without objection the bill will be made a part of the record and inserted at this point.

(The bill above referred to is as follows:)

[H. R. 6127, 76th Cong., 1st sess.]

A BILL To revise and codify the nationality laws of the United States into a comprehensive nationality code

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the nationality laws of the United States are revised and codified as follows:

TITLE I

SECTION 1. This Act may be cited as the Nationality Act of 1939.

CHAPTER I-DEFINITIONS

SEC. 101. For the purposes of this Act—

(a) The term "national" means a person owing permanent allegiance to a state.

(b) The term "national of the United States" means (1) a citizen of the United States, or (2) a person who, though not a citizen of the United States, owes permanent allegiance to the United States.

(c) The term "naturalization" means the conferring of nationality of a state upon a person after birth.

(d) The term "United States" when used in a geographical sense means the continental United States, Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands of the United States.

(e) The term "outlying possessions" means all territory, other than as specified in subsection (d), over which the United States exercises rights of sovereignty. (f) The term "parent" includes in the case of a posthumous child a deceased parent.

(g) The term "minor" means a person under twenty-one years of age. SEC. 102. For the purposes of chapter III of this Act

(a) The term "State" includes (except as used in subsection (a) of section 301), Alaska, Hawaii, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands of the United States.

(b) The term "naturalization court," unless otherwise particularly described, means a court authorized by subsection (a) of section 301 to exercise naturalization jurisdiction.

(c) The term "clerk o fcourt" means a clerk of a naturalization court.

(d) The terms "Commissioner" and "Deputy Commissioner" mean the Commissioner of Immigration and Naturalization and a Deputy Commissioner of Immigration and Naturalization, respectively.

(e) The term "Secretary" means the Secretary of Labor.

(f) The term "Service" means the Immigration and Naturalization Service of the United States Department of Labor.

(g) The term "designated examiner" means an examiner or other officer of the Service designated under section 332 by the Commissioner.

(h) The term "child" includes a child legitimated under the law of the child's residence or domicile, whether in the United States or elsewhere; also a child adopted in the United States, provided such legitimation or adoption takes place before the child reaches the age of sixteen years and the child is in the legal custody of the legitimating or adopting parent or parents.

SEC. 103. For the purposes of subsections (a) and (b) of section 402 of this Act, the term "foreign state" includes outlying possessions of a foreign state, but does not include self-governing dominions or territory under mandate, which, for the purposes of these subsections, shall be regarded as separate states.

SEC. 104. For the purposes of section 201, 402, 403, 404, and 405 of this Act, the place of general abode shall be deemed the place of residence.

CHAPTER II-NATIONALITY AT BIRTH

SEC. 201. The following shall be nationals and citizens of the United States at birth:

(a) A person born in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof; (b) A person born in the United States to a member of an Indian, Eskimo, Aleutian, or other aboriginal tribe: Provided, That the granting of citizenship under this subsection shall not in any manner impair or otherwise affect the right of such person to tribal or other property;

(c) A person born outside of the United States and its outlying possessions of parents both of whom are citizens of the United States and one of whom has resided in the United States or one of its outlying possessions, prior to the birth of such person;

(d) A person born outside of the United States and its outlying possessions of parents one of whom is a citizen of the United States who resided in the United States or one of its outlying possessions prior to the birth of such person, and the other of whom is a national, but not a citizen of the United States;

(e) A person born in an outlying possession of the United States of parents one of whom is a citizen of the United States who resided in the United States or one of its outlying possessions prior to the birth of such person;

(f) A child of unknown parentage found in the United States, until shown not to have been born in the United States;

(g) A person born outside the United States and its outlying possessions of parents one of whom is a citizen of the United States who has had ten years' residence in the United States or one of its outlying possessions, the other being an alien: Provided, That, in order to retain such citizenship, the child must reside in the United States or its outlying possessions for a period or periods totaling five years between the ages of thirteen and twenty-one years, and must within six months after his twenty-first birthday take an oath of allegiance to the United States: Provided further, That if the child has not taken up a residence in the United States or its outlying possessions by the time he reaches the age of sixteen years, or if he resides abroad for such a time that it becomes impossible for him to complete the five years' residence in the United States or its outlying possessions before reaching the age of twenty-one years, his American citizenship shall thereupon cease.

The preceding provisos shall not apply to a child born abroad whose American parent is at the time of the child's birth residing abroad solely or principally to represent the Government of the United States or a bona fide American educational, scientific, philanthropic, religious, commercial, or financial organization, having its principal office or place of business in the United States, or an international agency of an official character in which the United States participates, for which he receives a substantial compensation;

(h) The foregoing provisions of subsection (g) concerning retention of citizenship shall apply to a child born abroad subsequent to May 24, 1934.

SEC. 202. All persons born in Puerto Rico on or after April 11, 1899, subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, residing on the effective date of this Act in Puerto Rico or other territory over which the United States exercises rights of sovereignty and not citizens of the United States under any other Act, are hereby declared to be citizens of the United States.

SEC. 203. Unless otherwise provided in section 201, the following shall be nationals, but not citizens, of the United States at birth:

(a) A person born in an outlying possession of the United States of parents one of whom is a national, but not a citizen, of the United States;

(b) A person born outside the United States and its outlying possessions of parents both of whom are nationals, but not citizens, of the United States, and have resided in the United States or one of its outlying possessions prior to the birth of such person;

(c) A child of unknown parentage found in an outlying possession of the United States, until shown not to have been born in such outlying possession. SEC. 204. The provisions of section 201, subsections (c), (d), (e), and (g), and section 203, subsections (a) and (b), hereof apply, as of the date of birth, to a child, born out of wedlock, provided the paternity is established during minority, by legitimation, or adjudication of a competent court.

In the absence of such legitimation or adjudication, the child, if the mother had the nationality of the United States at the time of the child's birth, and had previously resided in the United States or one of its outlying possessions, shall be held to have acquired at birth her nationality status.

CHAPTER III-NATIONALITY THROUGH NATURALIZATION

GENERAL PROVISIONS

JURISDICTION TO NATURALIZE

SEC. 301. (a) Exclusive jurisdiction to naturalize persons as citizens of the United States is hereby conferred upon the following specified courts: District Courts of the United States now existing, or which may hereafter be established by Congress in any State, District Courts of the United States for the Territories of Hawaii and Alaska, and for the District of Columbia and for Puerto Rico, and the District Court of the Virgin Islands of the United States; also all courts of record in any State or Territory now existing, or which may hereafter be created, having a seal, a clerk, and jurisdiction in actions at law or equity, or law and equity, in which the amount in controversy is unlimited. The jurisdiction of all the courts herein specified to naturalize persons shall extend only to such persons resident within the respective jurisdictions of such courts, except as otherwise specifically provided in this chapter.

(b) A person may petition for naturalization in any court within the State judicial district or State judicial circuit in which he resides, whether or not he resides within the county in which the petition for naturalization is filed.

(c) The courts herein specified, upon request of the clerks of such courts, shall be furnished from time to time by the Commissioner or a Deputy Commissioner with such blank forms as may be required in naturalization proceedings.

(d) A person may be admitted to become a citizen of the United States in the manner and under the conditions prescribed in this chapter, and not otherwise.

SUBSTANTIVE PROVISIONS

ELIGIBILITY FOR NATURALIZATION

SEC. 302. The right of a person to become a naturalized citizen of the United States shall not be denied or abridged because of sex or because such person is married.

SEC. 303. The right to become a naturalized citizen under the provisions of this chapter shall extend only to white persons and persons of African nativity and persons of African descent, except that this section shall not apply to descendants of races indigenous to the Western Hemisphere, nor to native-born Filipinos hav

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