Reference no: EM133579028
Question: In the case of Vance v. Terrazas, 444 U.S. 252, 269, 100 S. Ct. 540, 549, 62 L. Ed. 2d 461 (1980) one of the primary reasons a person may lose their citizenship is by voluntarily renouncing their allegiance to the United States through a formal declaration or action taken in favor of another country. This loss of citizenship is governed by Section 349(a)(2) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), which states that a person who is a U.S. national, whether by birth or naturalization, can lose their U.S. nationality by "taking an oath or making an affirmation or other formal declaration of allegiance to a foreign state or a political subdivision thereof."
In the case of Laurence J. Terrazas, he was born in the United States but also held Mexican citizenship due to his parentage. Terrazas voluntarily applied for a certificate of Mexican nationality in which he swore allegiance to Mexico and expressly renounced his United States citizenship. The certificate he obtained confirmed his allegiance to Mexico and renunciation of any other nationality. As a result, the U.S. government initiated proceedings to determine whether Terrazas had voluntarily relinquished his U.S. citizenship based on his actions, which included taking an oath of allegiance to Mexico.
The legal dispute in the case primarily revolved around whether Terrazas had indeed voluntarily renounced his U.S. citizenship through his actions and whether Congress had the constitutional authority to legislate the standards of proof and presumptions in expatriation proceedings.
Using Westlaw, locate another case that deals with the post above set out. Compare and contrast your case to the one used in the post. Discuss how the cases help you better understand the topic under discussion.
Include the citation to the cases you use in Blue Book form.