Husband Tells Wife Not To Apply For American Citizenship Because She Hasn't 'Earned It'
She chose to apply anyway.
Jana Shea / Shutterstock The United States is a diverse country full of varied opinions. While this is part of what makes the country great, it can also make some things difficult, especially when views don’t align within a family.
This is what happened to one couple who had very different opinions about what it means to be an American.
A woman sought advice after her husband told her she shouldn’t apply for American citizenship because she hadn’t 'earned it.'
“My husband is heavily opposed to the 14th Amendment, specifically birthright citizenship,” she explained in a Reddit post. “He views citizenship of America as a privilege rather than a right, and thinks only service members and veterans should be allowed citizenship.”
Apparently, her husband took this belief very seriously. According to her, “He is so passionate about this that he never referred to himself as American until the conclusion of his Marine service."
The woman explained that she was born in Colombia, but moved to America at the age of seven.
“I just recently decided to think about applying [for citizenship], and wanted to ask my husband about the process, and if he would help me study for the final exam,” she wrote. “I expected him to be very happy about me wanting to identify as American, but I got the opposite.”
Her husband’s reasoning for his less-than-supportive response shocked her.
“He told me he would like me to not apply for citizenship since I hadn’t earned it. He asked me to not file for citizenship, but said the decision was ultimately mine and he would love me regardless,” she shared.
After this conversation, the woman was not sure what to do. She said she felt “torn” between her original desire to apply for American citizenship and her desire to keep her husband happy. However, she felt very strongly about the issue.
“I feel like I am American more than I am Colombian, and want to be able to finally identify as American,” she stated emphatically.
Reddit users were entirely supportive of the woman.
Commenters fully backed the Redditor and her wish to become an American citizen.
As one stated, “Your husband’s views on service and citizenship are his own. Regardless of his views, our nation currently doesn’t work as he wants it to. It just doesn’t.” “Get your citizenship,” advised another. “Whether he likes it or not, the 14th Amendment is part of the Constitution.”
However, some Redditors were concerned about more than just the woman’s citizenship. They worried that she may not be safe in her marriage.
“He is trying to control you to keep you dependent on him,” one person said. “You have to wonder what other very strong views this man holds that will affect her in their marriage,” another user commented. “I feel sure this isn’t the only one.”
Luckily, the woman's story has a happy ending.
The woman shared an update to her original Reddit post. Despite her husband’s protests, she chose to move forward with her goal.
“I’ve decided that I will apply for citizenship,” she said. “My husband said it’s my decision and he will support me whether he agrees with it or not.”
It’s good that this woman has decided to pursue citizenship since it’s something she desires. Though her husband's support would have been ideal, ultimately, it's no one’s decision to make but hers. Thankfully, she recognized that.
Mary-Faith Martinez is a writer for YourTango who covers entertainment, news and human interest topics.