What We Can Learn from Indian Tribes about Immigration

[Draggingtree]

Mises Institute

What We Can Learn from Indian Tribes about Immigration

7 COMMENTS

TAGS Decentralization and SecessionU.S. History

1 HOUR AGO Ryan McMaken

The Americas are unusual because citizenship is often granted based on birthplace, rather than on the citizenship or place of origin of one's parents. Countries in North and South America have historically tended to more freely grant citizenship due to their relatively low populations, abundant land, and a historical dependence on migrant labor to take advantage of the region's vast natural resources.

Thus the United States, as with other states in the Americas, has tended to grant citizenship to newcomers both in large numbers and from a large variety of backgrounds.

But there are some groups in the United States who have made sure place of birth won't get you very far in terms of integrating into the local community. And if one's parents have the wrong ancestry, you can usually forget about ever gaining full "citizenship."                      

I speak, of course, about Indian tribes in the United States where eligibility for membership often depends very much on who your grandparents were.