Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Top Stories

A military veteran without a question

A military veteran without a question

Tankoano lives in Houston Texas after serving three years in the Army for 2018 to 2021. He applied for a new passport in 2019 only to be told he wasn’t a U.S. citizen.

I am a New York-born soldier now living in Houston, Texas, who was recently sworn in as a citizen after a years-long legal battle with the U.S. government over my citizenship.


There is a little known problem of statelessness in America and my recently resolved case highlights the flaws in the current system and the urgent need for change. November is National Veterans and Military Families Month and is the perfect time for us to reflect on the need to fix this problem. I was issued a U.S. passport at birth and served in the U.S. Army, risking my life for this country. I had always believed myself to be an American citizen. However, when I applied for a new passport in 2019, I was told much to my surprise that I wasn't a citizen after all and was at risk of being deported to Africa. I was shocked and found this hard to believe.

The State Department argued that since my father was a diplomat from Niger with immunity, I was exempt from U.S. laws that grant birthright citizenship to those born on U.S. soil, even though I was born in Manhattan. They claimed their earlier decision to issue me an American passport had been a mistake.

Sign up for The Fulcrum newsletter

What followed was a three-year legal battle that left me in a state of legal limbo. I was considered “stateless” because I had renounced my citizenship of Niger and thus I was a “citizen of nowhere.”

I was given a notice to appear in court as part of a deportation process. The reason cited for the rejection of my citizenship application was that I lacked "good moral character," based on my rejected passport application. As someone who had served in the military and passed multiple background checks, this was particularly upsetting. Imagine finding out that your government thinks you lack good moral character, even though you served in the military overseas. It’s an organization in which I embodied the deep moral values of honesty and integrity.

The government's treatment of my case and the many other veterans who have faced deportation or statelessness due to technicalities or bureaucracy is unacceptable. These issues undermine the sacrifices and contributions of those who have served honorably and put themselves in harm's way for this country. This also goes against American values and the principles of justice and fairness that we serve to uphold.

This November is a good time for us to consider addressing this issue, and to ensure that all veterans, especially those who have served in combat, receive the benefits we deserve. It is a time to honor those who have served and sacrificed for their country.

I commend the efforts of the White House to address the deportation of veterans and the Department of Veterans Affairs for providing information to non-citizen veterans on how to become citizens. However, more needs to be done to fix the broken system that allows statelessness to continue.

There are an estimated 218,000 stateless people in America. We all have our own stories, and as a veteran, I am just one formerly stateless person. I’ve recently met other stateless people through United Stateless, an organization seeking to fix this bureaucratic nightmare for all of us. Thanks to our advocacy, the U.S. Department for Homeland Security recently issued new guidance on statelessness. The new guidance will help by allowing immigration officers the ability to consider statelessness as a discretionary factor in their decisions. But the changes are only temporary, and we need to enshrine them into law through the legislative process. To do that, we need to pass the Stateless Protection Act.

Statelessness is a pressing issue in the United States. Stateless people are denied access to education, job opportunities, healthcare, and the freedom to travel, perpetuating their vulnerability and hardship. We must raise awareness, promote legislative solutions, and empower stateless individuals to access legal status and the protection they deserve on American soil.

We need a system that recognizes the contributions of all individuals who serve in the military, regardless of their parentage or immigration status. We also need to legally enshrine clear and fair procedures for verifying citizenship and addressing cases of statelessness.

As we mark National Veterans and Military Families Month, let’s remember the sacrifices and bravery of those who have served, and commit to fixing the bureaucratic limbo of statelessness. Let us ensure that no veteran is left in a state of legal limbo or forced to fight for their own citizenship. Let us honor their service by providing them with the rights and protections they have earned. I urge all Americans to support efforts to fix the broken system. It's high time we honor our commitment to our veterans in the most meaningful way possible.

Read More

"Voter Here" sign outside of a polling location.

"Voter Here" sign outside of a polling location.

Getty Images, Grace Cary

Stopping the Descent Toward Banana Republic Elections

President Trump’s election-related executive order begins by pointing out practices in Canada, Sweden, Brazil, and elsewhere that outperform the U.S. But it is Trump’s order itself that really demonstrates how far we’ve fallen behind. In none of the countries mentioned, or any other major democracy in the world, would the head of government change election rules by decree, as Trump has tried to do.

Trump is the leader of a political party that will fight for control of Congress in 2026, an election sure to be close, and important to his presidency. The leader of one side in such a competition has no business unilaterally changing its rules—that’s why executive decrees changing elections only happen in tinpot dictatorships, not democracies.

Keep ReadingShow less
hundred dollar bills.
Getty Images, boonchai wedmakawand

Congress Bill Spotlight: Donald J. Trump $250 Bill Act

The Fulcrum introduces Congress Bill Spotlight, a weekly report by Jesse Rifkin, focusing on the noteworthy legislation of the thousands introduced in Congress. Rifkin has written about Congress for years, and now he's dissecting the most interesting bills you need to know about but that often don't get the right news coverage.

Trump reportedly tips his Mar-a-Lago groundskeepers with $100 bills. What if his own face appeared on them?

Keep ReadingShow less
Introducing The Expand Democracy 5

Introducing The Expand Democracy 5

In March, Rob Richie and Eveline Dowling launched a new Expand Democracy publication: The Expand Democracy 5. Each week they lift up five stories connected to their core belief: if democracy is not expanding, it is shrinking. They’re on the lookout for informative articles and timely news associated with a pro-democracy proposal that they believe warrants greater public awareness, often with links allowing readers to go deeper and connect with those advancing the idea.

In keeping with The Fulcrum’s mission to share ideas that help to repair our democracy and make it live and work in our everyday lives, we intend to publish The Expand Democracy 5 in The Fulcrum each Friday, beginning today.

Keep ReadingShow less
Defining the Democracy Movement: Karissa Raskin
- YouTube

Defining the Democracy Movement: Karissa Raskin

The Fulcrum presents The Path Forward: Defining the Democracy Reform Movement. Scott Warren's interview series engages diverse thought leaders to elevate the conversation about building a thriving and healthy democratic republic that fulfills its potential as a national social and political game-changer. This initiative is the start of focused collaborations and dialogue led by The Bridge Alliance and The Fulcrum teams to help the movement find a path forward.

Karissa Raskin is the new CEO of the Listen First Project, a coalition of over 500 nationwide organizations dedicated to bridging differences. The coalition aims to increase social cohesion across American society and serves as a way for bridging organizations to compare notes, share resources, and collaborate broadly. Karissa, who is based in Jacksonville, served as the Director of Coalition Engagement for a number of years before assuming the CEO role this February.

Keep ReadingShow less