"As someone who's worked with refugees and reported on forced migration for more than two decades, I understood the potentially life-saving importance of being able to cross a border with paperwork in hand. I started the application process before I had finished bleeding, trudging to the county records office with my newborn for a copy of her birth certificate."
"Permunian walked me through the process. His team helped scour Ellis Island records, locate birth certificates in remote Italian municipalities, and assemble and submit an array of paperwork and filing fees-for roughly eight thousand euros a pop."
"In many ways, I was behind the curve. Even before Donald Trump was reëlected, everyone I knew seemed to be seeking a second form of citizenship. My sister-in-law applied for Irish citizenship for herself and my niece and nephew."
A journalist with experience in refugee and migration work obtained a U.S. passport for her newborn daughter, then learned she qualified for Italian citizenship through her paternal great-great-great-grandfather. After discovering the process through an Italian lawyer, she pursued dual citizenship for her daughter. This experience reflects a broader trend among Americans seeking second citizenships in ancestral countries, particularly through European heritage. The motivation stems from concerns about political instability and the desire for backup options. Many Americans are similarly pursuing Irish, Italian, and other European citizenships for themselves and their children, viewing these as insurance policies for an uncertain future.
Read at The New Yorker
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