A law firm recently set up in Flushing, Queens started to advertise a “short cut” to citizenship. For $30, 000 get “adopted” by a Hawaiian Indian tribe and become a U.S. citizen? The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has described it as a hoax and warned people not to fall for it.
The firm, located at Main Street and Northern Boulevard, claims that members of Native American tribes have three citizenship identifications: one with the tribe, a second with the state, and a third as a U.S. citizen. Indian governments have their own constitution consequently, make their own laws, and have their own judicial and administrative systems. Anyone who becomes a member of an Indian tribe is also a “special citizen” of the United States, who enjoys all the residency rights of U.S. citizens and can apply for a regular U.S. citizenship after five years.
The firm claims that with a $30,000 “investment,” a person can be adopted by the Kingdom of Hawaii. The firm also claims that many clients have successfully completed the adoption procedure, but it refuses to provide more details, citing privacy concerns for its clients.
Christopher S. Bentley, a spokesperson for the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS), resolutely refuted the firm’s claims. While acknowledging that Indian tribes can adopt a foreign citizen, he said that it is not a way for immigrants to gain a U.S. citizenship. Bentley said that Indian tribe membership is not the same as U.S. citizenship. Any foreign national who wants to become a U.S. permanent resident has to be sponsored by a U.S. company or their U.S. citizen relatives. The person also has to pass the citizenship examination to become a citizen.
Shawn Saucier, another spokesperson for USCIS, said that Indian tribes have no right to issue passports. Further, tribal members cannot become U.S. citizens just by passing an examination.
Saucier said that USCIS will rule on every application and no one can pay their way into U.S. citizenship.
Bentley asked people not to fall for the scheme and urged anyone to report the scheme to the state attorney general.
