Peter Spiro
@peterspiro.bsky.social
820 followers 800 following 190 posts
Law prof, Temple U. All things citizenship
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Reposted by Peter Spiro
maartenpvink.bsky.social
“Totally absurd but probably will stick” is the motto of the T admin.

It’s just one more grift scheme.
peterspiro.bsky.social
So they found a legal workaround for the “Gold Card” - anyone who donates a million bucks automatically qualifies as an “alien of extraordinary ability”. Totally absurd but probably will stick. No one will have standing to challenge.
The Gold Card
By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered: Section 1.  Purpose.
www.whitehouse.gov
peterspiro.bsky.social
Category capped at 40k visas a year. This will probably create backlogs and processing delays for aliens who actually have extraordinary ability
peterspiro.bsky.social
So they found a legal workaround for the “Gold Card” - anyone who donates a million bucks automatically qualifies as an “alien of extraordinary ability”. Totally absurd but probably will stick. No one will have standing to challenge.
The Gold Card
By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered: Section 1.  Purpose.
www.whitehouse.gov
peterspiro.bsky.social
Back to this from a couple of weeks ago. Glad to know that Kimmel has a Plan B if he needs it.
peterspiro.bsky.social
"I love Italy. I like the idea of being a citizen there. And mostly what I like to do is bring my passport to parties and show it to people and make them jealous."
Jimmy Kimmel Addresses Rumors He’s Fleeing Trump’s America
MAGA world melted down after Kimmel told Sarah Silverman he had obtained Italian citizenship.
www.thedailybeast.com
peterspiro.bsky.social
So they found a legal workaround for the “Gold Card” - anyone who donates a million bucks automatically qualifies as an “alien of extraordinary ability”. Totally absurd but probably will stick. No one will have standing to challenge.
The Gold Card
By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered: Section 1.  Purpose.
www.whitehouse.gov
peterspiro.bsky.social
But I'm not a tax lawyer so there might be some loophole here that I'm not seeing.
peterspiro.bsky.social
Ah very interesting. Another reason to suspect that she didn't renounce - the expatriation tax. After renouncing she would have the same status as someone who never had citizenship. Not sure how she retains US "residence" without a green card, which she couldn't apply for until after renunciation.
peterspiro.bsky.social
"I love Italy. I like the idea of being a citizen there. And mostly what I like to do is bring my passport to parties and show it to people and make them jealous."
Jimmy Kimmel Addresses Rumors He’s Fleeing Trump’s America
MAGA world melted down after Kimmel told Sarah Silverman he had obtained Italian citizenship.
www.thedailybeast.com
peterspiro.bsky.social
Anyone know if Naomi Osaka actually relinquished her US citizenship? Her name never showed up on the renunciation list and Japan now quietly tolerant of birth dual citizens maintaining the status into adulthood.
Why does Naomi Osaka play for Japan? Explaining tennis star's relinquished USA dual citizenship
The tennis star represents Japan on the national stage.
sports.yahoo.com
Reposted by Peter Spiro
maartenpvink.bsky.social
Well said, @peterspiro.bsky.social in @nytimes.com on Marco Rubio’s 2016 defense of birthright citizenship.

“There’s no reason why the argument he put to work in 2016 couldn’t be put to work today against the Trump executive order,” Professor Spiro wrote.

www.nytimes.com/2025/08/18/u...
Marco Rubio Once Filed a Brief Embracing Birthright Citizenship
www.nytimes.com
Reposted by Peter Spiro
maartenpvink.bsky.social
The i UK newspaper asked me what's going on with citizenship policies across European countries. Here's why I think we are at a turning point in Europe when it comes to citizenship through naturalisation. And why that is worrying.

inews.co.uk/news/world/w...
Why it's getting even harder for Brits to become EU citizens
Several countries are looking at increasing residency requirements for citizenship
inews.co.uk
Reposted by Peter Spiro
peterspiro.bsky.social
Delighted to join!
maartenpvink.bsky.social
Great to back in Budapest to teach at this year's edition of ‪CEU's summer school on Contestations of Citizenship in Times of Global Democratic Backsliding. Looking forward to exchange insights with participants!

Thanks for the invitation @jdzankic.bsky.social & Szabolcs Pogonyi.

lnkd.in/dqxq-Qn6
Reposted by Peter Spiro
conorsen.bsky.social
I always found identity/countries of origin in pro tennis to be funny. Like on some level they’re all Floridian once they become pros:
Reposted by Peter Spiro
aoc.bsky.social
I don’t think anyone is prepared for what they just did w/ ICE.

This is not a simple budget increase. It is an explosion - making ICE bigger than the FBI, US Bureau of Prisons, DEA,& others combined.

It is setting up to make what’s happening now look like child’s play. And people are disappearing.
peterspiro.bsky.social
Agree. Govt must prove case by "clear and convincing evidence." This is very different from the immigration context, in which courts are more deferential.
Reposted by Peter Spiro
reichlinmelnick.bsky.social
I still believe that denaturalization cases will be relatively rare and that the average immigrant does not need to worry about this. But we can definitely expect to see an increase in cases from around 100-150 a year to maybe double that?
mclem.org
The White House has ordered the US Dept. of Justice to prioritize denaturalization: voiding the citizenship of US citizens.

Who will it denaturalize? "Any" case that it "determines to be sufficiently important".

Point 10 leaves the criteria opaque and arbitrary.

substack.com/redirect/169...
peterspiro.bsky.social
“Fraud” can be broadly defined so definitely cause for concern. SCOTUS 2017 decision below unanimously held that misrep must have been “material”. Courts exercise closer scrutiny here than with respect to immigration policies, but there are probably lots of cases in which govt still prevails.
Reposted by Peter Spiro
Reposted by Peter Spiro
jacobtlevy.bsky.social
blog.dividedargument.com/p/initial-th...

from Samuel Bray, an expert on and critic of nationwide injunctions frequently cited in Barrett's opinion:

"I do not expect the President’s executive order on birthright citizenship will ever go into effect."
Second, there will likely be a surge of new class actions against the enforcement of the executive order. Because the Supreme Court expressly said the Executive Order would not take effect for 30 days, that allows class actions to be filed and class-protective preliminary injunctions to be granted throughout the country. Given that the birthright-citizenship executive order is unconstitutional, I expect courts will grant those preliminary injunctions, and they will be affirmed on appeal. I do not expect the President’s executive order on birthright citizenship will ever go into effect.