Perspective | A doctor tried to renew his passport. Now he’s no longer a citizen.
www.washingtonpost.com
A Northern Virginia doctor was born in D.C. and given a U.S. birth certificate. At 61, he learned his citizenship was granted by mistake.

The Northern Virginia doctor knows at least that much about his situation. He knows he is no longer considered a citizen of the United States — the place where he was born, went to school and has practiced medicine for more than 30 years — and that he also belongs to no other place.

A letter from a State Department official informed him that he should not have been granted citizenship at the time of his birth because his father was a diplomat with the Embassy of Iran. The letter directed Sobhani to a website where he could apply for lawful permanent residence.

  • Silverseren@kbin.social
    50·
    1 year ago

    What he discovered, he said, is this: His older brother, who was born in Kansas when their father was a military student, had a congenital condition that required surgery. To extend the family’s stay in the country for that surgery, their father obtained a temporary job at the Iranian Embassy and worked there in October and November 1961. A birth certificate shows Sobhani was born at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center that November.

    So, not even a scenario where his father was a meaningful actual diplomat or anything, but he worked as a temp for two months at the Embassy and his son was born during that period.

    That makes this even more BS.

    • roguetrick@kbin.social
      6·
      1 year ago

      He was on a diplomatic visa though is what the state department noted.

      Edit: should’ve only been an A2 visa and not diplomatic immunity.