The Oath of Allegiance - the pledge taken by immigrants in
becoming U.S. citizens - will be changed on September 17 by the
Department of Homeland Security. In an attempt to "simplify"
language, the meaning of the oath is being altered. Heritage
analysts are working right now with congressional leaders and the
White House to preserve the oath and prevent its being watered
down.
Letter from
Heritage's Edwin Meese to Secretary Tom Ridge (pdf)
The new "oath" drops much of the great, old language about
unconditionally supporting and defending the Constitution and the
laws of the United States and instead commits our new citizens to
defending the Constitution only "where and if lawfully required."
This change undermines the absolute "true faith and allegiance"
(deleted language) necessary to foster a new citizens' attachment
to this country-a prerequisite for republican government.
The Department of Homeland Security is in a big rush to
implement the new oath as part of a ceremony on Citizenship Day,
September 17. So they've used a bureaucratic procedure to avoid
releasing the text of the oath for the standard 60-day comment
period.
As always, The Heritage Foundation is pledged to defend our
nation's principles and our foundation as a civil society against
all enemies - foreign, domestic and bureaucratic. So help us get
the word out on the Department of Homeland Security's misguided
attempts to make U.S. citizenship more "user-friendly" for those
who want the benefits of our country, but don't care to accept the
responsibility.
Letter from
Heritage's Edwin Meese to Secretary Tom Ridge (pdf)