Oath of citizenship (United States)
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The United States Oath of Citizenship is an oath that must be taken by all immigrants who wish to become United States citizens.
The current oath is as follows:
- I hereby declare, on oath, that I absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty of whom or which I have heretofore been a subject or citizen; that I will support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I will bear arms on behalf of the United States when required by law; that I will perform noncombatant service in the Armed Forces of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform work of national importance under civilian direction when required by the law; and that I take this obligation freely without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; so help me God.
Bold - the line "so help me God" is optional, and sometimes the lines "that I will bear arms on behalf of the United States when required by law; that I will perform non-combatant service in the Armed Forces of the United States when required by law" are omitted as well, if the prospective citizen can prove such commitments are in violation with his or her religion.
The Oath of Citizenship is not a federal law. Technically, any oath is legal, as long as it meets the "five principles" mandated by the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1953. These principles are:
- allegiance to the United States Constitution,
- renunciation of allegiance to any foreign country or leader to which the immigrant has had previous allegiances to,
- defense of the Constitution against enemies "foreign and domestic"
- promise to serve in the United States Armed Forces when required by law (either combat or non-combat)
- promise to perform civilian duties of "national importance" when required by law
There has been some controversy about the wording of the oath, parts of which are based on the British Oath of Supremacy which was written in the 16th Century. As a result, some have suggested much of the language is antiquated and confusing. In the fall of 2003 the United States Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services planned to change the oath of citizenship in time for Citizenship Day (September 17). The proposed oath was as followed:
- Solemnly, freely, and without mental reservation, I hereby renounce under oath all allegiance to any foreign state. My fidelity and allegiance from this day forward is to the United States of America. I pledge to support, honor, and be loyal to the United States, its Constitution, and its laws. Where and if lawfully required, I further commit myself to defend the Constitution and laws of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic, either by military, noncombatant, or civilian service. This I do solemnly swear, so help me God.
These revisions were criticized as needless cosmetic changes by pundits and several members of Congress however, and seeking to avoid controversy the BCIS quietly shelved the revision plan.
Senator Lamar Alexander has since proposed a bill to formally codify the current oath.
