Chosen Citizenship
Natural Born & Immigrant
Bottom Line Up Front: Chosen Citizenship means all citizens stand equal in rights and responsibilities, and those who chose to become American deserve respect for that commitment. Our administration will honor both those who were born Americans and those who became Americans, and work to unite them under our common values of Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness as Americans and Coloradans.
a. Valuing All Citizens: We believe citizenship in the United States is a profound privilege and bond – whether one is natural born (born on U.S. soil or to citizen parents) or a naturalized immigrant who chose to become American. Chosen Citizenship highlights that immigrants who lawfully go through the process and take the Oath of Allegiance have made an affirmative commitment to our nation, which should be celebrated and respected just as much as native-born citizenship. We hold that all citizens are equal under the law, regardless of origin. We want to foster unity among citizens, appreciating that patriotism isn’t measured by birthplace but by adherence to American ideals and contributions to our society.
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b. Context & Goals: Colorado has many naturalized citizens (from Mexico, India, Vietnam, Ethiopia, etc.). They often deeply appreciate American freedoms, sometimes more so than native-born who may take it for granted. We aim to integrate immigrants fully into civic life while preserving what’s unique in their heritage as part of the American mosaic. Also, there’s an implication here about dual citizenship or allegiance – perhaps we encourage single allegiance, though we don’t mandate renouncing other citizenship if not required by origin country. Mainly, we want all citizens to think of themselves first and foremost as Americans/Coloradans, not hyphenated with primary loyalty elsewhere. That comes naturally for most; we’ll reinforce it through civic education and rituals.
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c. Policy Measures:
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1. Streamline Naturalization Support: While federal law sets the rules, the state can assist eligible immigrants in becoming citizens. We might partner with nonprofits to provide classes on U.S. history and government for green card holders preparing to naturalize. We can designate libraries or community centers as hubs for citizenship test prep, with volunteer tutors (maybe retired civics teachers or current volunteers). Also, provide language assistance for those allowed to take the test in their native language (older immigrants sometimes qualify). Colorado could modestly fund such programs because getting more legal residents to take the step to citizenship benefits community engagement (they can vote, serve on juries, etc.). We want those who are here long-term and eligible to feel empowered to become full citizens.
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2. State Civic Ceremonies: We propose instituting a Colorado tradition: an annual State Citizenship Day ceremony where new U.S. citizens are honored at the Capitol or Governor’s mansion. Perhaps around Independence Day or Citizenship Day (Sept 17, Constitution Day). Invite a diverse group of new Americans, have a patriotic program, hand them state flag pins or welcome letters. This symbolically affirms that Colorado embraces them fully as our own. We might also do local versions – encourage counties to hold similar recognition at commissioner meetings. This fosters pride and inclusivity.
3. Equal Opportunity for Immigrants: Ensure state policies do not discriminate between naturalized and native citizens. For instance, some public employment or office rules might historically have restrictions (except in cases like Governor or President which require natural-born by U.S. Constitution – obviously we abide by those). But otherwise, a citizen is a citizen. If any outdated statutes prefer native-born for something, we’d repeal them. We also vigorously enforce anti-discrimination laws if someone tries to treat naturalized citizens as second-class (e.g., employers requiring “native-born” for a job – which is illegal national origin discrimination; we’d penalize that).
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4. Encourage Civic Participation: For new citizens, voting and civic involvement might be unfamiliar (maybe coming from countries where it was unsafe). We’ll do outreach programs – perhaps the Secretary of State’s office can mail newly registered citizen voters a guide on how to vote, how the process works, in multiple languages initially. We could partner naturalized citizen mentors with newbies to show them the ropes of community meetings, PTA, etc. This is soft stuff but important for integration. Already some cities have commissions for immigrant integration; we’ll coordinate state support to amplify good ideas statewide.
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5. Language and Integration Balance: We will reinforce English as the common language of civic life because it unites citizens. While multilingual services are helpful to not exclude people, we encourage learning English as key to full participation and success. So we’ll support adult ESL classes robustly. We’ll also embrace bilingualism as an asset – encourage English speakers to learn other languages too – but the core is, citizens should be conversant in English to engage in democracy. It’s not law (we’re not making English the “official language” beyond what Colorado did in 1988 symbolic law), but it’s policy to focus on English proficiency in education and workforce.
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6. Prevent Division by Origin: Sometimes identity politics tries to pit groups or give special preferences based on heritage. We stand for treating all citizens equally – no ethnic quotas or separate electorates or such. For example, we oppose any idea like in some places where only residents of certain ancestry could vote for certain offices – that balkanizes us. One person, one vote, regardless of origin. Affirmative action based strictly on race/national origin – which can favor some immigrant groups over others or native – is now being rolled back after Supreme Court’s Harvard decision (though that was about college admissions). We align with equal treatment principle. We’ll encourage unity events – e.g., natural-born and naturalized citizens volunteering together, dialogues, etc., to break down any ignorance or misconceptions.
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7. Recognize Contributions: Perhaps start a “Colorado Citizenship Medal” to honor outstanding citizens – whether native or immigrant – who exemplify civic virtue. Among honorees, highlight some naturalized citizens who achieved notable community service or business success, to show what immigrants contribute. Also highlight multi-generation natives who keep up traditions of service. The idea is to celebrate that being a good citizen is what matters, not where you came from.
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National-born and Immigrant-born Unity: “Chosen Citizenship” also applies to those born here – we want them to cherish their citizenship as something precious (even if they didn’t personally choose it at birth, they choose to continue allegiance as adults rather than, say, renouncing). We can encourage youth to appreciate being American via better civics and history that instills gratitude. If more native-born treated their citizenship with the reverence that naturalized folks do (who often overcame hurdles for it), our nation would be stronger.
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Finally, we oppose dual loyalties – in practical terms, officials should only serve American interests. We won’t bar dual citizenship for private citizens (common nowadays), but we will expect that in civic sphere, all citizens – whether immigrant or native – put America first (tying back to America First principle). If any naturalized citizen in public office displayed more loyalty to their birth country’s government than to the U.S., we’d condemn that, just as we would any native-born who undermines national interest for foreign favor. Fortunately, that’s rare; most immigrants are very patriotic Americans.