Week 2- Level 1 Challenge Option: What Makes a Citizen?

• Imagine that you are a U.S. Foreign Service employee in one of the busiest U.S. Embassies in the world -- the U.S. Embassy in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.  As an officer in the U.S. Citizens Services Division, your job is to assist U.S. citizens living in or visiting the Dominican Republic. This involves issuing U.S. passports, providing emergency services, evaluating U.S. citizenship requests, to name a few.

It is your first day on the job and the following individuals approach you for services.  Evaluate each request and answer the questions presented in each case:

• Case 1. Susana Rodríguez was born in New York City in 1983.  She lived in the Big Apple until she was 4, when she moved to Santo Domingo with her Dominican parents.  Now 35, she works as a mortgage banker in one of the country’s biggest financial institutions. Susana, who is married to Juan Santos, a Dominican, recently had a son.  Johnny, her son, was born in Santo Domingo.  But, Susana wants her son to be an American, like her. Does Johnny, Susana’s son, have the right to U.S. citizenship? Why or why not? (Cite the multimedia resource you consulted that helped you arrive at this answer).

• Case 2. Geraldine Wood, a 40 year old professor at a local university, is requesting U.S. citizenship.  She was born in Santo Domingo to Norma Santos, a Dominican, and Richard Moore, a U.S. citizen (both deceased).  Richard Moore moved to the Dominican Republic from Kansas, when he was 35, to work on a U.S. government international development project.  He fell in love with Norma and decided to stay in the Dominican Republic for the rest of his life. Geraldine has been told by many people that she qualifies for American citizenship because she is the daughter of an American citizen.  She lived in the U.S. for 2 years while she was in graduate school.  She has visited the U.S. often and wants to become a U.S. citizen. Does Geraldine have the right to U.S. citizenship? Why or why not? (Cite the multimedia resource you consulted that helped you arrive at this answer).

• Case 3. Ana Elisa Reyes, a Dominican woman in her thirties, lived in Miami from 2000-2002.  Although Ana Elisa entered the United States legally (with a tourist visa), she stayed in the country longer than she was supposed to. While in Miami, Ana Elisa became pregnant with her son, James.  She gave birth to him on August 1, 2002 at the Jackson Memorial Hospital.  According to Ana Elisa, Charlie Smith, a Hialeah man and U.S. citizen, is the child’s father.  But he refuses to acknowledge that he is the father.  Without the support of family and friends to help her with the baby, Ana Elisa headed back to Santo Domingo, two days after James’s birth. Ana did not have time to procure her son’s birth certificate in Miami.  All she has is a hospital-issued document that certifies that her son was born at Jackson Memorial Hospital. Does James, Ana Elisa’s son, have the right to U.S. citizenship? Why or why not? (Cite the multimedia resource you consulted that helped you arrive at this answer).

• Case 4. Born in New York City, Jacqueline moved to the Dominican Republic when she was 8-years-old and has lived in the country since then. Today, Jacqueline is 38 years old and owns and operates a clothing store.  She has consistently paid income taxes to the Dominican government.  But, she has never paid nor filed taxes in the United States. Jacqueline approaches you with the following question: “Do I need to file or pay taxes in the U.S.?” Does Jacqueline need to file and/or pay taxes in the United States? Why or why not? (Cite the multimedia resource you consulted that helped you arrive at this answer).

• Case 5. Alex, a 23-year-old U.S. citizen, has been living in the Dominican Republic since he was four.  Today, he is married to a Dominican woman and has two children.  He owns a small cell phone store in Santo Domingo and has no immediate plans to move back to the United States.Although he no longer lives in the U.S., Alex is very interested in U.S. politics.  He wants to know if he can vote in the 2016 presidential elections, even though he lives in the Dominican Republic. Can Alex vote in the 2016 presidential election? Why or why not? (Cite the multimedia resource you consulted that helped you arrive at this answer).