PRIA, Government Policy, Made Personal

Summary

Declares certain people tied to Guam to be U.S. citizens as of August 1, 1950 if they were living on that date in Guam or in another territory under U.S. control. It covers people who lived in Guam on April 11, 1899 (even if temporarily away) and their children born after April 11, 1899, and people born in Guam who lived there on April 11, 1899, provided they continued to live in Guam or other U.S. territory and did not take steps to keep or get another country’s citizenship. Also says everyone born in Guam on or after April 11, 1899 who is under U.S. jurisdiction is a U.S. citizen; those born before August 1, 1950 must not have taken steps to keep or get another country’s citizenship. Anyone who was a citizen of another country and wanted to keep that status had to make a sworn declaration before August 1, 1952; after that declaration they would not be treated as a U.S. national under this law.

Title 8, §1407

Aliens and Nationality, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)The following persons, and their children born after April 11, 1899, are declared to be citizens of the United States as of August 1, 1950, if they were residing on August 1, 1950, on the island of Guam or other territory over which the United States exercises rights of sovereignty:

(1)All inhabitants of the island of Guam on April 11, 1899, including those temporarily absent from the island on that date, who were Spanish subjects, who after that date continued to reside in Guam or other territory over which the United States exercises sovereignty, and who have taken no affirmative steps to preserve or acquire foreign nationality; and

(2)All persons born in the island of Guam who resided in Guam on April 11, 1899, including those temporarily absent from the island on that date, who after that date continued to reside in Guam or other territory over which the United States exercises sovereignty, and who have taken no affirmative steps to preserve or acquire foreign nationality.

(b)All persons born in the island of Guam on or after April 11, 1899 (whether before or after August 1, 1950) subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, are declared to be citizens of the United States: Provided, That in the case of any person born before August 1, 1950, he has taken no affirmative steps to preserve or acquire foreign nationality.

(c)Any person hereinbefore described who is a citizen or national of a country other than the United States and desires to retain his present political status shall have made, prior to August 1, 1952, a declaration under oath of such desire, said declaration to be in form and executed in the manner prescribed by regulations. From and after the making of such a declaration any such person shall be held not to be a national of the United States by virtue of this chapter.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

This chapter, referred to in subsec. (c), was in the original, “this Act”, meaning act June 27, 1952, ch. 477, 66 Stat. 163, known as the Immigration and Nationality Act, which is classified principally to this chapter. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see

Short Title

note set out under section 1101 of this title and Tables.

§1407 Persons Living in and Born in Guam