Politicians will say everything in the book to get you off their backs and hope you don't go look for them when you need help. They're busy being corrupt pos
I truly believe, if this hadn't received media coverage, this US citizen and NAVY VETERAN would not have received his DL. Thank you NEWS Channel 5. Tennessee should be embarrassed-but, they're not.
He is a Canadian citizen and not even entitled to license. He just needs to become a citizen or not simple as that. And the story even says he is Canadian born in Canada, not a US citizen. Educate yourself and stop letting news channels twist a story and lie to you. BTW thousands of non citizens are trained by and or serve in the US military and they are NOT citizens just because they did
Exactly. Thank you NEWS Channel 5 from all of us here in New Hampshire. This situation is an absolute outrage and I'll keep my fingers crossed that he receives a hefty settlement offer. (TN would be foolish to take this to trial).
There’s an old saying that most people were barking on the wrong tree 😂. This seems the tree were disowning their very own siblings or so 😂😂😂. There’s a lot of legitimate non citizens they can easily identify really easy but too lazy to actually get them anyway ❤.
Honestly it’s a tale as old as time. The only reason why any of the politicians care is because it’s great exposure. Veterans have always given more than they received. Just remember when a politician says they support the military they mean military contracting companies.
@@AAblade7FACTS! GOSPEL! You see folks, this traveler here has told no lies. When it comes to politicos coming in to save the day for ONE person out of many going through the same thing, DON’T BELIEVE THE HYPE!
The guy was born in Canada and that makes him Canadian, not American...... this is written in law. How do you not know this? Any international airport even warns pregnant travelers, same with cruises. Or they used to.
@@RichardHeadGamingyour opinion differs from a couple centuries of precedent. Just like Ted Cruz and John McCain, people born to American parents living abroad that have neither citizenship or permanent residency are US citizens.
@@RichardHeadGamingbecause it's not true dipshit. If both your parents are American, so are you, regardless of where you are born. This is law to protect people in situations like going into labor during a trip.
I think being "as smart as a 5 year old" is part of their qualifications ,and something they are quite proud of, I think the Tenn DOT should incorporate that into their new logo: "We're as smart as 5 year olds, some of the time."
Why, him saying his grandfather is a citizen does not make it a fact. He was not born in the US. he is Canadian. Just because he served in the armed forces does not make him a citizen. thousands of foreigners serve in our services for different reasons.
@@RichardHeadGaming Pay attention, yes he was born in Canada to TWO US citizens thus granting him IMMEDIATE DUAL CITIZENSHIP by both US and Canadian constitutions! Period.
He was born in Canada not the US, they are correct and it is their job when they find these mistakes to correct them. What blows my mind is them just caving under pressure and not forcing the guy to just go get his citizenship.
@@RichardHeadGaming He was born to American parents, giving him joint citizenship. They withdrew a citizenship which was his by birthright, which is a breach of the UDHR. The only grounds where you might be right is if he'd chosen to renounce his American citizenship, which he hasn't done.
@@JadenYukifan28 I've the advantage of being a quarter Belgian, and worked in the European Diplomatic Service (economist on the CFSP Crisis Management team). Some Nations force a decision at coming of age, but it's unusual.
Mr. O’Connor, Thank you for YOUR SERVICE to our country. The “On-Camera Politician” promised to fix the problem, off-camera he disappears until another reporter puts a microphone in his face. It’s wrong that one of our Veterans is forced to hire an attorney.
You took the words from my fingers...I'd sue the crap out of them, MAKE them issue a public apology. How TF can they do this? He served this country...he WAS BORN TO LEGAL U.S. CITIZENS EVEN THOUGH HE WAS BORN IN CANADA.... This is the result of "public officials" WHO ARE SUPPOSED TO REPRESENT THE CONSTITUENTS THAT ELECT THEM...said "officials" are woefully ignorant/lazy to TAKE THE TIIME TO LOOK UP INFORMATION ON THE BOOKS that can AVOID this embarrassing result. The stress they have caused this gentleman and his family is beyond comprehension😡
They followed the written laws of our constitution and corrected a mistake some ignorant person did. What is astounding is you not knowing giving birth while traveling makes that child a citizen of that Country, not the US. You do not have some strange birth right due to who your parents are if they traveled while pregnant.
Major screwup by the State and the DMV. 1) He is and always has been a US Citizen by birth. Federal Law on this going back to about when Thomas Jefferson was Ambassador to France makes the clear. This is why the Military and SS considered him a Citizen. Never any question. One glance at his birth certificate makes that clear to anyone who knows the Federal Law. 2) The Real ID law allows a State to issue a Drivers License that is not a Real ID. Notice that the State of TN just did that. 3) Real ID law requires that for foreign born US Citizens to get a Real ID that they get a Department of State Form regarding their foreign birth (and that Form did not even exist when this man was born). The State should have informed this man of that, and provided instructions on how he could apply for that Form. There are no age restrictions on a person applying for this Department of State form. While current Department of State rules request that parents do this before a child is 18, the child does not loose Citizenship if the parents did not do it. The Department of State allows all foreign born children to apply directly for that document and provide whatever documents they have and applicable statements. There are countries even today where there are no formal "official" birth records, and the Department of State accepts statements in those cases. Does anyone have any explanation other than "incompetence" and "power trip"?
I see...there are holes in this story then. 1. Did this mess start because the man only wanted a Real ID? 2. Was there no option to get a non Real ID? I get it that he voted in elections, has a SSN etc but bottom line the agency needed something from the US Dept of State proving US citizenship. This could simply have been a passport but I guess as you mentioned one can apply for a letter from the Dept of State to be generated if he didn't have a passport. Dear newstation, you could have just contacted the US Dept of state and had them generate the letter, no? Pounding on the DMV just made the department issue a non Real ID which is not what the man ultimately wanted but perhaps he was never given this option if his license expired while waiting. I feel bad for the man but there are strict rules for documenting of proof of citizenship since a Real ID is a state license with Federal recognition. The Feds set the rules on who is qualified to get one.
Wrong, travelers always were warned if they are pregnant and about to travel abroad. If you have American parents and born abroad then you are not automatically a US citizen, you are a citizen of whatever country you are born in. The laws you refer to pertain to being born on what is considered US soil. An Embassy is its own local containment, a naval, Air force or Army base is considered US soil. But just having parents not in the military or an Ambassador does not make the child a US citizen lol. He is Canadian till he gets his Citizenship. The Military does not require citizenship, thousands a year of foreigners serve and or are trained by our military. You are partially right, but just misinformed. They gave a foreigner a license due to pressure not regulation or law.
@@RichardHeadGaming You are incorrect. I suggest that you read Federal Law: 8 U.S. Code § 1401 - Nationals and citizens of United States at birth In this case this gentleman falls under: (c) a person born outside of the United States and its outlying possessions of parents both of whom are citizens of the United States and one of whom has had a residence in the United States or one of its outlying possessions, prior to the birth of such person; There are multiple other sections that apply to children born to just 1 US parent. I suggest that you read the whole thing (its only about a page long). It would be a very unusual condition where the child would not automatically be a citizen at birth (and my understanding is that it involves someone who obtained citizenship but had not actually lived in the USA physically for a minimum amount of time such as 6 months or 1 year prior to the birth). The reasons people are warned is that with the exception of certain very friendly and modern countries that official documentation of the birth may be hard to come by (and may never exist); and that medial cost may not be well covered and some countries would hold you hostage until medical is paid. The State Department has procedures in place for countries without good (or any) official documentation of birth. But, its typically a more difficult process. Have a great day,
@@boink800Since he was born a citizen, he would not have that a US citizen Certifiacte. That is only for those US citizens who became citizens through naturalization.
@@xeutoniumnyborg1192 Heritage Foundation is against illegal aliens.. not legal migrants... However this guy was neither. He was US citizen.... with all the same rights as anyone else born in this country... including the right to run for President if he wanted.
States don't have that power.. and one thing you are missing is that he did not in fact have the correct paperwork to get a RealID Drivers License... He could have gotten the normal one. Because he was born outside the US he needed a specific form from the Federal Government stating he was a US Citizen, instead he had a birth certificate from outside the USA. It did have the proper checkbox on it that said he was a US citizen.. however that piece of paper is basically not a legal document that is approved to prove he was in fact a US citizen.
as a Navy brat who was born in Rota, Spain (USN Air Station Rota, 1959) ---- there are always assholes who try to deny citizenship. Actually, his status is defined in the US Constitution, if these anti - migrant bigots would actually read it. I was also constantly audited by the IRS in the late 1980s and early 1990s because the Dept. of Education requires proof of Selective Service registration. I didn't register _because_ _I_ _enlisted_ . ---- after serving 8 years in the US Army, I went to college to use the "benefits" a veteran is supposed to get, and got 4 years of harassment over finances and VA benefits. fwiw, people born in 1958 and 1959 were never required to register by law; the older law expired and wasn't renewed until 1960, and wasn't retroactive. Doesn't matter to bureaucrats.
As a person that works in the government, we're not allowed to do things we should be allowed to do and not lose our jobs. There is "guidance" that must be followed and frankly, my job is 100% more important than someone I'll never meet. The government jobs are contracted to for-profit companies, which gives them an incentive to find ways to hire less than skilled workers. There is a lot of cost cutting going on, much of the "government" is a company being paid to run part of the government. In this case this man hasn't provided documents that are on an approved list. Certification of Birth Abroad isn't an acceptable document without many other documents where I work. The real disappointment here is the commissioner not having done anything to actually help him navigate the situation and get what was needed.
Yes the US Constitution and Immigration does list this situation. He is 100% Canadian. His parents were not serving in the armed forces and protected against travel etc. They vacationed to Canada and made their son Canadian. Just because you are a Navy Brat does not make you intelligent obviously. A US military base is considered US soil. A foreign Country is not. The guy is Canadian and since they caved to pressure and gave a foreigner a license he will not be forced to just go get his citizenship .He could have fixed a life long oversight easily. Being a person that believes in our laws and Immigration process does make a person a bigot, it just means all they require is the guy follow the law. Thousands of non citizens serve or are trained by our military every year. Just serving in the Navy does not make you a citizen.
Fear of what, the law and regulations state clearly we as Americans do not give licenses to Canadians, they are allowed to drive here in the US with a Canadian license. We can not issue him one, so either go to Canada and get one or just become a US citizen, simple.
I think it's time to cut back on some of the new agencies that got started after 9/11. They exist merely to give out jobs and higher paying administrators.
@@RichardHeadGamingWhy? He is not, and has never been, Canadian. US law is quite clear on what makes someone a US citizen, and he absolutely meets the criteria.
@@PaulGuy How hard is it to understand a law outlining the ability and how to achieve is not at question. His parents refused to fill out the necessary paperwork (Consular Birth Certificate) to make him a US citizen. Just because the law says he can be does not make it so if you do not follow the guidelines of the law. You are not magically stamped on your forehead at birth showing your citizenship. He was left a Canadian born citizen intentionally by his parents for whatever reason they chose when he was born.
This is mind blowing, absolutely mind blowing! What incompetence! I'm a 76 year old Army veteran, I salute you for sticking with it and getting your license!
Imagine any citizen without press or the money to afford a lawyer in a situation without this. Why do our officials not take their responsibility to citizens like the police, etc?
Because the guy is Canadian, imagine if he just went down and filed his paperwork to become a citizen and then he would not have this problem instead of whining about it to a dumb reporter that twists the facts and misrepresents the situation. He was in fact born in Canada and by birth rights he is Canadian. This is his parents fault for not listening to warnings about traveling abroad while pregnant.
@@RichardHeadGaming He may qualify for Canadian citizenship, but by US law he was born as a US citizen. Both parents were married to each other and US citizens temporarily in another country. He's at least as much a US citizen as you or I.
@@kaseyboles30 Yes if and only if he was born on US soil, being born in another country makes a citizen of that Country, clearly written law. That is also why they tell pregnant expecting women when they travel the perils of such lol. Birth to US or Canadian citizens etc does not inherently give the child rights. Location, Location, Location. Try reading more. Hence, why traveling Military mostly do not have issues with birth because cases are considered US soil. Now if they are off base at birth the child has other problems, but easily remedied. Normally, the other service members lie/cover for them.
I am so proud of this gentleman protecting his rights and the rights of others by calling out the state officials hats off to you, sir and thank you for your service to our country. God bless.
I hate that it takes being embarrassed on TV for a State official to act when they could have put some REAL Effort to get this done! I hope the Lawsuit will make this incident a singular event and allow others in a similar predicament not to go through this as well.
I’m a Tennessean and I’m so sorry this has happened but knowing the state, I’d say yup, sounds bout right. Thank you to the media for digging in and not taking apathy for an answer.
This is not incompetence. This is a deliberate act of the government of the state of Tennessee who does not recognize anyone as a citizen unless they were born in Tennessee to parents and grandparents who were all born in Tennessee and area a lifetime card carrying member of the Republican party. My cousin was arrested in Tennessee years ago. It was Halloween and he had attended a Halloween party in another state and was driving through on his way to California. He was also dressed up in his Halloween costume as a female witch. He was stopped for having out of state plates. He was arrested for and charged with impersonating a woman and sent to prison where he died years later by "suicide." During his stay he was treated brutally in part for being from a northern state and having a northern accent. In part for driving in Tennessee without a valid drivers license ( at the time Tennessee did not recognize driver's licenses from other states as valid) and in part for being homosexual. That last one was never proven but under Tennessee law he was declared homosexual due to wearing the witch's costume. He was arrested in 1956 and I remember being in grade school when I saw my grandmother crying and she had just found out her oldest grandchild was dead. I was born in 1959. I can't remember if I was in first or second grade at the time. I have known a few people who lived there and one told me that they were given a difficult time trying to get their Massachusetts license changed to a Tennessee license. The DMV person told my friend that they don't automatically recognize Yankee licenses as valid and that he would have to apply for a learner's permit and take a road test all over again. They would not recognize his Massachusetts license as valid ID. They gave him a hard time because as part of the process you have to provide a county issued birth certificate. Massachusetts counties don't issue birth certificates. Towns and cities do. You can also get a certified copy of a birth record from the state. But no county in Massachusetts ever issued a birth certificate. So because of that he had to spend months trying to prove he was born. It literally took a letter hand signed by the governor of Massachusetts and another letter from the then attorney general of Massachusetts for Tennessee to recognize the validity of a birth certificate issued by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Then, after all that he still had to have a valid licensed driver take him to the DMV for the road test and so he had to hire a driving instructor to do that. Meanwhile they confiscated his car since he was not a licensed driver and he could not prove to their satisfaction that he was legally registered in Massachusetts as they did not accept his Massachusetts driver's license as proof of ID and you need proof of ID to register a car and so when the Massachusetts registration expired they impounded his car. It was auctioned off months before he got his Tennessee license. Meanwhile they would not accept his children's school credentials to register for school since they didn't recognize Yankee credentials at the time. His eldest son had been a sophomore at English High School in Boston and had a 4.0 GPA. They would not let his son register as a junior at the local high school because they didn't accept his son's birth certificate as proof of age for the same reasons as above. Same with his younger daughters who were to be registered in middle school and elementary school respectively. His three children stayed at home for a year not attending school because the school would not recognize their validity since they were from Massachusetts. Then the county had the audacity to arrest me friend for not sending his children to school and he spent a month in jail while his three children were in juvenile detention for truancy. He finally proved to law enforcement that his children were being denied an education for lack of credentials. So they gave him his children back but not before his middle child had been brutally assaulted by a girl who was there for killing her mother. My friend's daughter now has a permanent scar on her face as a result. Meanwhile he lost his job which was the whole reason he went to Tennessee in the first place, for a job offer. Finally his children were permitted to register for classes a year later after missing a whole year so all three were held back a year and the eldest was denied acceptance to multiple universities due to his imperfect attendance. He was in Tennessee for about three years total and as soon as he could he moved back to Massachusetts. But Tennessee was not done with him yet because they issued a warrant for his arrest for kidnapping and denying his children attendance in their schools. Seems they lost the notice he gave the school district that his children would be attending school in Massachusetts that following year. Supposedly he was supposed to meet with a social worker monthly and have a home inspection due to the missed school. They had tried to charge him with child abuse over that even though it was the county that kept his kids out of school. So he went to work for this high tech company in MA and after a few weeks the results of the background check came and it said he was wanted in Tennessee for the above things and he was fired from that job and had to hire a lawyer remotely from Massachusetts to represent in in Tennessee to cancel the warrants. Neither he nor any member of his family have stepped foot within 500 miles of Tennessee since. Even when he took his kids to Disney World years later he didn't want to fly within 500 miles of Tennessee so he flew to Bermuda and then to Orlando and flew back the same way. He refused a major promotion that his employer offered him because it was located in Atlanta which is less than 500 miles from Tennessee. FYI, Massachusetts is 574 miles from Tennessee in a straight line from the two closest points. I live in Florida. I was born and raised in Massachusetts. I will never step foot in Tennessee for any reason not if you offered me a billion dollars. Every person I have ever met who came from Tennessee left because of how horrible it is there.
I dislike your post. Hundreds of thousands of people kept this country running and when one horrible pack of men far from Fedral power does something wrong, all you can see is a chance to insult and slander. Please don't do that.
The problem in this case is if someone thinks they are a citizen but cannot prove it they also wouldn’t have proof of residency. If they had proof of residency from USCIS than they would not be a citizen.
TN only issues "Real ID", which requires proof of citizenship or legal residency. The federal laws are badly written, and the state regulations are worse, IMO.
It's TN and the inability to see beyond their own noses. Also it's the DMV. I live in New England and have had run ins with personal at the our equivalent of the DMV who seem to make it up as they go along.
What drives me crazy is that the onus is 100% on YOU to fix their mistakes. Sometimes it's an impossible task. You shouldn't have to resort to lawyers and the media to take care of a mistake someone else made that is screwing up your life. There needs to be some sort of ombudsman specifically for dealing with issues like this. Someone that will help you quickly and for free. I went through this with the city of Lawrence, MA. Out of the blue they sent me a parking ticket, for a car I didn't even own in a town I'd never been to. I had to fight to hell and back to get rid of it.
Thank you to this station for all ur help for him! Find out if he has to pay that lawyer and if so, start a go fund me for him if he needs that help... bc that is ridiculous. He should be suing for the fees but... who knows. Thank you guys and thank you Sir, for ur service!!! 🇺🇲🇺🇲🇺🇲 Much love from Ohio!!!
They are twisting facts, he is not a US citizen he is Canadian. Educate yourself, if you are born in another Country you are not American. He does not have a right to license nor can they make him passports. He needs to do citizenship paperwork.
@@RichardHeadGaming In addition to the naturalization process, the United States recognizes the U.S. citizenship of individuals according to two fundamental principles: jus soli (right of birthplace) and jus sanguinis (right of blood). The US Embassy. You do not outrank the US Department of State. So, feel free to spread your below five year old ignorance in hell, where you were born.
@@RichardHeadGaming You are not a citizen of any country unless THAT country-NOT YOU-says so. EACH country has their OWN laws that, surprise! surprise! may be different from the laws in the USA.
That's not the only DMV with it's head up it's butt. I had a friend who was told that her Alaskan license was not valid because Alaska wasn't a US state. This was in Texas. She protested and did get it, buit mostly because she appeared ready to fight the issue and the head of the department did not want to be bothered.
My brother was born in France on an AFB. He couldn't get a passport or license because our government said he wasn't a citizen! It took him a couple years to sort it out.
I don't think that you even have to be born on base (or post in my case). I was born in Germany, and my birth certificate is in German. Near as I can tell it is from a local hospital. Certainly not the language of choice that you would expect to be used on an American post (Army brat here). By happenstance, I also live in Tennessee. I wonder if Mr. Blackburn needs locals to join this lawsuit?
@@RichardHeadGaming Well, no it's not. And there are plenty of "hole-in-the-wall" posts/bases that either don't have a hospital, or if they do, don't have a maternity ward. I was born in a German hospital in Frankfurt while my father was serving in the Army. More to the point, it also happened to be where mom was when the time came around for me to appear. My birth certificate is in German. However, I am not a German citizen. And to the best of my knowledge Germany was not one of the countries the adhered to "Jus soli", or "Right of the soil" in the fifties. (I just looked it up) Since 2000, Germany, and other EU countries have lightened up a bit, and you can become a citizen of your birth country under some conditions. I'm happy where I am at. ------------- Now to transition on to a related topic, let's talk about Birth Tourism. Or "Do unto others as they have done unto you". Basically most of the Americas (North, South, and that bit in the middle), practice some form of "Jus soli". So maybeeee have your sons and daughters take advantage of it (the children will still be American citizens), specifically in a country that has great fishing and is easy to get to from your place. If you know what I mean. Wink-wink. :)
It is law and correct, he is Canadian by law not a US citizen and they had every right to deny him. This is not rocket science and his service did not make a citizen. Educate yourself and stop letting the news dictate the story by twisting facts. The guy should have just gotten his Citizenship. It would be easy for him since he has been here so long, but his service does not make him a citizen.
@@RichardHeadGaming both of his parents are U.S. citizens as it says on his birth certificate. He is a citizen. Example: 2 U.S. citizen soldiers are stationed in Germany. Is the baby a citizen- Answer YES.
I didn't see any state official on camera say this man wasn't a US citizen. The issue was he didn't have the documents required to get a Real ID. This man's issue wasn't resolved. He got a TN driver license, but he wanted a Real ID.
You should be proud that they followed the regulations due to law. He is "Canadian" and not American. They can not under law and regulation issue him a license and passport. The simple answer is him going and getting his citizenship paperwork done. He has been married to an American for decades.
Actually not. The Real ID law allows the States to issue Drivers Licenses that are not Real IDs. The Real ID law also directs that any foreign born US Citizen (of which he clearly was) needs to also submit a Department of State Form recording the foreign birth; and told him how to apply for one. There is no age limit for someone to apply for that Department of State Form, and with his documents it would have been automatically issued without question. I put this down at massive ignorance of TN officials and implementing people on the Real ID law and processes.
Thank you for your service Mr. O'Conner, Veteran of the USA NAVY . Thank you News Channel5 for staying on this case until it was resolved and making this known to we the people.
I wish l had the answer. The way common sense has flown to who knows where has been very telling for some time. Society in this country has devolved at a rate I can honestly say I didn't think I'd still be around to see..
Apparently, TN thought it was sovereign to federal authority, the latter recognizing the vet as a US citizen. It's the only thing that makes sense to this author.
Apparently you have no idea that serving in the US armed forces does not make you a citizen, but it makes it easier to become one. Every year non citizens are trained by and or serve in the US military. It just makes them a mercenary.
@@JillofAllTrades2 It is very simple, yes he had a right to be a citizen, yes he could have been a citizen. But his parents did not do the paperwork, and over 70 years he did not even try. So he is not a citizen. He even being a Canadian only had to fill out and file two other papers they told him to file and he didn't and this is the outcome. The news article is deceiving the public either intentionally for a story or he has lied to them and they refused to just do a little research. A law by itself does not just magically make you a citizen, paperwork does. Even a child born at home in a secluded Mountain in America and raised without ever being documented will be considered not a citizen (Legally) till they prove and document such.
Remember Sleepless in Seattle. The little girl said “if it’s on their computer screen, they’ll believe it “. Here we are. No critical thinking skills whatsoever!
I’m really happy that someone stepped up to the plate and did what was necessary, This I’m sure this went viral, I heard about this in Jacksonville, Florida , good for you, thank for your SERVICE
TN state law allows legal residents to get driver licenses. If they think he's not in the country legally, then they should follow up on that as well … but they did not. TN picked which parts of the law they want to enforce.
In spirit I heartily agree with your sentiment. I will point out however that INS alone is allowed to enforce a great many of the laws and rules surrounding immigration. As far as we know Tennessee notified them and they said "bugger off that's stupid". I don't think police are allowed to do anything about unlawful immigrants beyond notifying ins, and even then there are limits.
A friend of mine is a resident alien, originally from the UK. She's never had a problem getting the drivers license. The Real ID took almost a year. Despite providing, Birth Cert, Green Card, Passport, all residences for the past 50 years. Turned out the problem was Dept of HS-CIS. Arguably the most screwed up Federal conglomerate ever created. Offices in the same building do not communicate on issues. Narragansett Bay
The problem is a non citizen does not have a right to US passport lol. Nor do we have a responsibility to issue a license. Non citizens drive on their Country of origins license. So not sure you know what your talking about here. Not even sure how she has stayed that long without returning to her country of Origin from time to time to do paperwork etc. So a real ID should fall under passport rules since they are essentially a passport and can not be given to foreigners.
@@RichardHeadGaming Lawful resident alien. Most of the rights, privileges, and duties of a citizen. Not all though. No voting IIRC, and disbarred from many official offices.
@@RichardHeadGaming Non-citizens who are lawful US residents get a driver's license from their state. You present your foreign passport with proof of legal residency. If you are a Lawful Permanent Resident you don't absolutely need a Real ID because your Green Card is a valid ID for air travel.
@@RichardHeadGaming My firend never learned to drive in the UK, and still maintains UK citizenship/ She married an American serviceman and received her Drivers license's in Hawaii, VA, FL and finally RI. She is a resident alien, covered by Soc. Sec etc. She was advised that a white-star license was not required as she has a bio-metric Green card and UK passport.
@@RichardHeadGaming A lot of local law enforcement agencies do not recognize foreign driver's licenses. Several Canadian citizens are in jail in the US as I write this for committing the crime of driving in the United States under a valid Canadian driver's license. They legally crossed the border at a checkpoint and drove south and as soon as they got to Dixie they were pulled over and arrested for driving under a foreign driver's license. One got as far as my state, Florida, and is still waiting to get out of jail. Several states have the option of either a real ID or a non real ID license for someone who is a resident but not a citizen. For example, A neighbor of mine is from England and is working here under contract with a company here. They have been here long enough to obtain citizenship but they intend to return home to England there. They pay all the due taxes and also taxes to the UK as well. He has a son that just turned 16 and wants to drive. He is will be a junior at our local high school in a couple of weeks. He was just issued a learner's permit here so he can drive. He does not have a real ID. Under international law we have reciprocity agreements and treaties with a number of nations that require us to recognize certain rights of visitors. UK is one of those countries and Canada is another yet many states illegally ignore this. Also a real ID is not a passport. It does not function as one. If you visit Canada and return without an actual US Passport you will find it very difficult to come home. I live in Florida and I remember years ago you could visit most places in the Caribbean without a passport. A valid Florida DL would get you almost anywhere a US citizen can travel to. But then the state dept. after 9-11 changed the rules and now requires a passport for reentry. so I can't even go on a day trip to Bimini without one and in fact it is advised that if you get on a boat and travel into the Atlantic ocean past the international border and return you can be denied permission to get off the boat if you don't have a passport with you. The real ID's primary purpose is to ensure that you are who you say you are while flying. It is also required for some coach busses depending on area and carrier.
No but citizenship affects the kind of license you can obtain in most states. The federal government has made laws that put an identification burden on state DMV's. Those state's governments have further passed laws affecting this and have often made those laws arbitrary and ambiguous. Florida requires that you show a birth certificate issued by the county where you were born. I was born in a state where counties do not issue birth certificates, only towns and cities do. But my state's DMV employees have been empowered to have a certain amount of latitude in this matter and so they will recognize a city or state or nationally issued birth certificate. Other states don't. It is not a matter of being in charge of citizenship but rather of recognizing the validity of it.
@@nunyabiznez6381 No, citizenship does NOT affect the kind of license you can get. ONLY your immigration status matters. Anyone who is residing here legally gets EXACTLY THE SAME LICENSE as anyone born here.
@@JillofAllTrades2 I live in Florida. I have been informed by DMV employees that if you want a REAL ID driver's license you must be a US citizen. Everyone else gets the old driver's license. For identification purposes that would require something similar to a REAL ID for non citizens they suggest a passport from your home country. Perhaps other states do it differently. Several of my coworkers are not citizens and they have a non REAL ID license.
This is a similar situation that happened with Senator Ted Cruz. He was born to american citizens in Canada, and had both American and Canadian citizenship.
I used to hold a triple citizenship. I was born in the US but my parents were *legal* immigrants who were headhunted to come here because they each had much desired and badly needed professional degrees; they met while working here, decided to marry and become naturalised citizens. I went to their naturalisation ceremony (I was 5), so I am a natural born US citizen, plus I qualified as a citizen of the countries each of my parents were from. More and more, I regret my decision to drop my passports from my other countries, effectively dropping citizenship. The US is getting scarier and scarier--at the time I made my decisions to drop my other passports, I never dreamed things would get this bad.
I am an US citizen and an Irish citizen. Ireland used to have a law where if you could prove you had at least one grandparent who was an Irish citizen you could obtain Irish citizenship even if you've never been to Ireland. I was born in the US to parents who were born citizens. My mother had three grandparents who were born in Ireland and one in England. Her parents were born in the US. All her grandparents became US citizens. Under Irish law she applied for and obtained Irish citizenship which qualified me as well. Neither of us had ever even been to Ireland and I never obtained any Irish identification papers. I merely have the documents proving my citizenship. This makes it legal for me to one day visit and stay as long as I like and without a visa. Otherwise I would need a visa. I just have to bring my citizenship documents with me when I go. I am planning to go there after retirement and do about six months worth of family history research and a tourist visa will only permit 60 days and it's a lot cheaper to live there than to fly back and forth. I have no intention of ever renouncing my US citizenship which I consider my primary loyalty. The US requires renouncing all foreign citizenships in order to be naturalized but it does not prohibit obtaining additional citizenships after the fact. On my father's size I am a 16th generation American with two ancestors who signed the Declaration of Independence and 12 direct ancestors who would qualify my female relatives for membership in the D.A.R. So there is no way I would ever renounce my US citizenship. But Ireland does hold a special place in my heart none the less. My aunt was born in Canada and married my uncle who was a US Navel officer. He was barred from certain positions in the navy for having a foreign born wife. He was not permitted access to certain kinds of information but then his particular area of specialty didn't really need it. He was in the dental corps. My Dad was an E3 during Korea and had access to information his brother who was an O-3 at the time did not. Funny how that works. Anyways my aunt wanted duel US citizenship but the state department wouldn't let her keep her Canadian Citizenship and become a US citizen so she did eventually renounce her Canadian citizenship. Then years later she reapplied for it and it was automatically granted without it affecting her US citizenship. But then when she heard that Ireland was going to change their citizenship laws she applied for and got Irish citizenship due to having an Irish grandmother who came to Canada in 1898. So she ended up with triple citizenship as well. One of my cousins who was a natural born US citizen applied for and obtained both Canadian and Irish citizenship when his mother obtained her Irish citizenship and he has also obtained citizenship from Turkey. It seems you can buy citizenship from Turkey and he did. He has a home there and citizenship makes it easy for him to do his archeological work there.
@@nunyabiznez6381 When my mother, father and many paternal aunts and uncles became naturalised US citizens, there was no requirement to renounce foreign citizenships, so my parents and relatives were/are dual citizens to this day. The only requirement regarding travel is that when you leave the US on a trip, you pick the passport you intend to use for your trip and stick with that passport until you re-enter the US. So when I left the US for a few years in my teens to live in England, I travelled under my UK passport the entire time (which included visits to the Republic of Ireland, Norway and France as well as Scotland and Wales) and same again when I lived in England again for a few years in my 20s. Actually, I could have used my US passport but it was a bit of "up yours" to Sinn Fein and the IRA--at that time, I had a cousin in Her Majesty's service and he was stationed in Northern Ireland. Everyone in my family, including my English aunt and uncle with whom I was staying, felt I would be marginally safer with a US passport and a student visa (good for a year at a time) but if Jason was in danger, well, "up yours" to the Provos, I was doing what I could to stand in solidarity with him. It was also an "up yours" to all the despicable Americans who saw nothing wrong with sending financial support to terrorists, which I will never understand (and will never understand the people who voted one of those eejits into office). If I were just travelling for shorter periods of times, I just used my US passport, since it was easier.
What is wrong with Tennessee? If he is not a citizen none of us are. What happened to common sense? I am glad he got his driver's license but it should have never gone this far.
Before commenting on your great news coverage of this Veteran, I must comment on the lady newscaster! Thank you for your decency! ! 1 Smiles and appreciation! Too many women look like they are advertising their bodies in a wrong way doing news and weather. Than you for looking like a LADY intelligent, decent, and making it possible for all of us to listen to WHAT you are saying. And you are beautiful in a pure way.
He should move back to Ontario, get a license, live here for six months and not have to worry over his health care, The USA is weird. Had a family member accused of draft dodging in the 1960's for the same issue. Born in the USA to Canadian parents.
That did make him a US citizen and not Canadian, he would have to get his Canadian citizenship or denounce his citizenship here. So yeah they legally had a right to expect him to register here till he did one or the other.
The United States Constitution gives him US citizenship if he was born "on US soil". He could even run for president. No clue what Canadian law says here.
Who says he will ever fly. I'm 67 and its likely that my flying commercial airlines is over due to some medical issues. But, I can still drive and ride in a vehicle.
@@RichardHeadGaming Both his parents are/were U.S. citizens. His parents are the ones that messed up when he was a minor. There's a form to fill out that they never did.
@@RichardHeadGaming He is actually a US citizen. If you have one parent who is a US citizen, it does not matter where you are born, you are automatically a natural born US citizen even if you are born on Mars on a Russian space colony. To qualify as a natural born citizen you need only one of two things. Have on parent who is a citizen or be born on US soil. An exception to the 2nd one is if you are born in a foreign embassy to foreign parents or if your country has a special treaty with the US agreeing to other arrangements and Canada does not. According to Tennessee's interpretation of citizenship, if you are born on a military base located outside of the United States to parents who are US citizens you are not a US citizen which is absolutely not true. If what I say in this post is not true then Ted Cruz who was born in Canada and Mitt Romney's father, who was born in Mexico, would not have been eligible to run for president and both were confirmed by the Republican controlled supreme court to be natural born citizens as per the constitution and federal immigration law. .
@@nunyabiznez6381 It is not magical and a birth certificate is not magically vaporized out of thin air. Paperwork has to be done, or no they are not. The Country where the person is born is going to file the proper birth certificate regardless if they become a US citizen or not. If they never apply for citizenship under the law they are a citizen of the other country. Just because words in a law say they are/can become a citizen inaction can make it void. He is Canadian.
@@RichardHeadGaming Again, it does not matter where in the universe you are born. If either of your parents are US citizens on the day you are born then you absolutely are automatically a US citizen no paperwork needed to prove that except for a birth record showing the name of at least one of your parents being a US citizen. You need nothing else. No additional paperwork is required. No special procedure is needed. There is no applying for citizenship if you are born a citizen period. No magic involved. That is the way it works. I don't know where your silly ideas come from.
Is deplorable is this is the State of affairs of the United States deplorable same thing happened to me I had a license and I moved to another state and they wouldn't because I didn't have all my documents that I needed and I had the most important ones which was my army discharge and my honorable discharge
Our son also had to declare US citizenship and had to pay for the certificate. He was born in Germany in 1980 while we, his parents were in the military. We did not get a birth certificate because we received a government form “child born abroad of US citizens”. Our son used this form as a BC all thru school and to join the US Airforce which he has since retired from. His birth status was questioned when he applied for a Passport which was after 9/11.
No, you cannot. Believe me: Even getting a Maryland Non-driving I.D. is near impossible without the help of a social worker unless you have several 'identity proofs' as they call them. I personally had to jump through hoops to get a non-driving I.D. recently since I am not safe to drive anymore and even if I was still safe to drive had only two of the required 4+ identity proofs.
WELL THE SAME THING HAPPENED TO ME AND MY HUSBAND MICHAEL HE WAS BORN HERE IN NJ AND I CAME FROM CUBAN OVER 60 YRS AGO. I ITHINK THIS IS BEING DONE SO THEY CAN PULL ANOTHER FAST ONE WITH THE ELECTION AGAIN😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡
I feel sorry for this man. And it is morally right to feel outraged at his treatment. But the law does not provide for automatic citizenship to a child of U.S. citizens who was born abroad. The law states that a person born abroad in wedlock to two U.S. citizen parents acquires U.S. citizenship at birth under section 301(c) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), if at least one of the parents had a residence in the United States prior to the person’s birth. In other words, you have to prove these facts before you can claim U.S. citizenship and acquire all related benefits. Holding a prior State Driver’s License or serving in the military is not considered proof of citizenship or lawful permanent residence when it comes to immigration law. But someone should have helped this veteran get what he needed!
But they didn’t have any problem recruiting him and anything that happened in the decades since then??? Your words are many but hens lay eggs, @bwanagoes!! It’s not only always the fault of the citizens. Sometimes obviously it’s just overreacted powerplay of incompetent people with inferiority complex.
You are incorrect. US Federal law does (and always has) provide that the child of a US Citizen born overseas is automatically a US Citizen at birth. Federal Law makes it perfectly clear that he was a US Citizen at birth. What is needed to get a Real ID is a Department of State form stating he is a citizen. He, and anyone else born overseas with at least 1 parent as a US Citizen, can apply to the US Department of State and provide the documents or information they have and get that form. the Department of State even understands that there are other countries in the world where there are no formal birth records on file and acts just on personal statements for those countries. However, the US Government considers him a Citizen even if he never gets that Department of State form (which is why SS and the Military considered him as a Citizen) The TN Department of Motor Vehicles had no reason to deny him a drivers license and should have notified him that he needed that Department of State form for a Real ID and how to apply for it.
You need to look at the law at the time of his birth: "The following shall be nationals and citizens of the United States at birth: (c) A person born outside of the United States and its outlying possessions of parents both of whom are citizens of the United States and one of whom has resided in the United States or one of its outlying possessions, prior to the birth of such person;" The constitution prohibits "after the fact" laws so this is what makes it crystal clear he's a US citizen by birth.
Everyone bitching needs to understand the person was doing their job. It’s not the DMV’s fault if his documents weren’t filed correctly. Had he truly been illegally here yall would be demanding he be deported.
Total BS. 1) It is very clear that he is a US Citizen. Federal Law going back to when Tomas Jefferson was Ambassador to France makes that very clear (and anyone who knows the Citizenship requirements would have looked at his birth certificate and known that he was unquestionably a US Citizen). 2) The Real ID law does not prevent a State from issuing a Drivers License that is not a Real ID. Notice how the State of TN recently acknowledge that and issued him a new Drivers License). 3) The Real ID law does require that any foreign born child Citizen get a Department of State form regarding their foreign birth. The State of TN should have told him that and provided instructions on how he could apply for that form. There is no age restrictions or requirements that parents filed paperwork earlier for a person to file for and get that form as long as they can provide evidence of their foreign birth (and the Department of State knows that there are countries where there are no "official" birth records - and just works from statements and any other evidence). I just see massive incompetence at the State of TN DMV and Real ID departments.
@@boink800 I would like to point out that the current "US Citizenship Certificate" did not exist when he was born. It's a relative recent document all things considered. He could not have gotten one when he was born, nor served in the Military, etc. He only needs it now if he desires to get a Real ID. His current documentation proves he is a US Citizen (and the State of TN has caved on that by issuing him his drivers license).
I lived in Tennessee for awhile in the early 80's. On our second day there, there was a group of men with white capes standing on a corner by Walmart inviting people to their "rally" I asked the Walmart clerk about it and she whispered that it was the Klan, and don't ask about them.
I was born in Europe to US citizen parents , been in the US since 3 years old , at 50 I went to get my passport and took both of my birth certificates , they refused them saying I needed to get a single one issued .... in Europe , I asked how I could get to Europe without a passport to get a birth certificate in person when I didnt have a passport ... the people running the Govt are inept
He is Canadian, not a US citizen. Everything they have done is by the book, except them giving him a license the first go round. What the guy would be better vested in is just doing the paperwork to become a citizen.
@@RichardHeadGaminghe’s not Canadian- both of his parents are American. It takes years to get citizenship if he needed to do that (he doesn’t). My son was born in Germany to American parents- he is not German. He is American and had to register for the draft, pays taxes,etc. US law says he’s American, not German.
@@RichardHeadGamingWhile he may qualify for Canadian citizenship (I know nothing of their laws on this) his being born of two us parents makes him a US citizen based on the laws of the time (40's) and I believe current law as well. And it was automatic, the only paperwork needed was don, namely his birth certificate. And I don't think was actually required, just strongly recommended. In the 40's we weren't so drowned in paperwork. As best I can determine this was the relevant federal law from 1940-1952: "The following shall be nationals and citizens of the United States at birth: (c) A person born outside of the United States and its outlying possessions of parents both of whom are citizens of the United States and one of whom has resided in the United States or one of its outlying possessions, prior to the birth of such person;"
About time! TN, you owe this man one heck of an apology. NOTHING is worse for him that what you tried to do. You stole his life, identity, and confidence.
As a Canadian we see stuff like this in our media frequently, particularly in places like Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama. State offices and even police officers will refuse Canadian credentials. One woman driving home to Toronto from Florida, not only had the validity of her Ontario, Canada, driver's license questioned, but was told that the driver's license was not valid for driving in the U.S. She was fined, and imprisoned. She was not released until court was told point blank that was blatantly incorrect by their own state's attorney. A Canadian cold front is preferable to the hot reception some Canadians get down south.
So a 5yr old gets it... Our govt was too dumb to figure out this simple issue. I'm happy they're still suing. TAXPAYERS are sick of paying for dumb govt...
As a European who has lived all over the world, I have never come across a restriction on a drivers license based in citizenship before. The only question is whether you have passed the test or a test in another country deemed equivalent or above. This seems just mad to me from its fundamental starting point
Please consider who's saying citizenship is a requirement. They are showing their ignorance and that they have never lived anywhere other than maybe the state of Tennessee 🙄
I live in Tennessee and I'm over 60, i can tell you this state has changed into a terrible place to live, people use to help their neighbors and everyone waved at you weather you knew them or not. Now that don't happen and there are still some good neighbors but very few
I don't think Tennessee was ever a good place. In the 1950's my cousin was driving through Tennessee from a Halloween party where he had dressed up as a witch what with it being a Halloween party. He was stopped for having an out of state license plate, a felony at the time it appears, and was arrested and charged with impersonating a woman. He was found guilty and died in prison from "suicide" over a decade later. My grandmother attempted to claim the body but Tennessee informed her that his body was the property of the state of Tennessee and as such they buried him in an unmarked un numbered grave on prison grounds and she was denied the right to visit his grave. No lawyer in Tennessee would take the case when she tried to obtain his body for burial in his home state of Massachusetts citing that they don't represent Yankees. I have never been to Tennessee. The United States Bureau of Engraving and Printing in all it's history has not printed enough currency to pay me to come within spitting distance of Tennessee. I have a friend who had a similar but more devastating experience with the state of Tennessee who after three years of hell living there finally escaped with his family back to Massachusetts and Tennessee still tried to have him face charges for things the state forced upon him against his will. After a few years of living back home in Massachusetts he was able to afford to take his family to Disney World in Orlando Florida. He took a flight out of Logan International in Boston to Bermuda then a flight from Bermuda to Orlando International out of fear that if there was an emergency on any domestic flight going to Florida there was a remote chance of stopping in Nashville and his children were terrified of such a nightmare scenario. He turned down a promotion that would have paid him three times as much because it was going to transfer him to Atlanta and he vowed never to come within 500 miles of Tennessee ever again. Massachusetts and Tennessee are 574 miles at their closest points.
@@nunyabiznez6381 Wow. I am so sorry to hear this. It must be the heat messing with people's brains because it seems the further south you go, the stupider you get.
So that state commissioner is a liar.
Big surprise, right.
Tennessee is 100% republican controlled. Are you surprised?
Tennessee, no surprise there.
That's good ol' fashion politicalenese for telling media what they want to hear instead of what you're actually going to do.
Politicians will say everything in the book to get you off their backs and hope you don't go look for them when you need help. They're busy being corrupt pos
I truly believe, if this hadn't received media coverage, this US citizen and NAVY VETERAN would not have received his DL. Thank you NEWS Channel 5.
Tennessee should be embarrassed-but, they're not.
He is a Canadian citizen and not even entitled to license. He just needs to become a citizen or not simple as that. And the story even says he is Canadian born in Canada, not a US citizen. Educate yourself and stop letting news channels twist a story and lie to you. BTW thousands of non citizens are trained by and or serve in the US military and they are NOT citizens just because they did
Exactly. Thank you NEWS Channel 5 from all of us here in New Hampshire. This situation is an absolute outrage and I'll keep my fingers crossed that he receives a hefty settlement offer. (TN would be foolish to take this to trial).
There’s an old saying that most people were barking on the wrong tree 😂. This seems the tree were disowning their very own siblings or so 😂😂😂. There’s a lot of legitimate non citizens they can easily identify really easy but too lazy to actually get them anyway ❤.
ABSOLUTELY
And how many others have been denied
So it takes someone from Homeland Security to realize alienating your Veterans is a bad idea? What an embarrassment.
Honestly it’s a tale as old as time. The only reason why any of the politicians care is because it’s great exposure. Veterans have always given more than they received. Just remember when a politician says they support the military they mean military contracting companies.
@@AAblade7FACTS! GOSPEL! You see folks, this traveler here has told no lies.
When it comes to politicos coming in to save the day for ONE person out of many going through the same thing, DON’T BELIEVE THE HYPE!
It's not the Federal Homeland Security, it's the State of Tennessee Homeland Security.
@@AAblade7 Not always. The Roman Empire knew that you better keep your Vets happy or they'd turn on you.
@@patta8388 I was going more as a USA tradition.
How embarrassing for Tennessee. They made themselves look like a pack of fools.
The guy was born in Canada and that makes him Canadian, not American...... this is written in law. How do you not know this? Any international airport even warns pregnant travelers, same with cruises. Or they used to.
@@RichardHeadGamingyour opinion differs from a couple centuries of precedent. Just like Ted Cruz and John McCain, people born to American parents living abroad that have neither citizenship or permanent residency are US citizens.
@@RichardHeadGaming If both parents are Americans then their child is American too. How do you not know this?
@@RichardHeadGaming learn learn learn
@@RichardHeadGamingbecause it's not true dipshit. If both your parents are American, so are you, regardless of where you are born. This is law to protect people in situations like going into labor during a trip.
The D.m.v . should be embarrassed that a 5 year old is smarter then they are .
I think being "as smart as a 5 year old" is part of their qualifications ,and something they are quite proud of,
I think the Tenn DOT should incorporate that into their new logo: "We're as smart as 5 year olds, some of the time."
Why, him saying his grandfather is a citizen does not make it a fact. He was not born in the US. he is Canadian. Just because he served in the armed forces does not make him a citizen. thousands of foreigners serve in our services for different reasons.
@@RichardHeadGaming Pay attention, yes he was born in Canada to TWO US citizens thus granting him IMMEDIATE DUAL CITIZENSHIP by both US and Canadian constitutions! Period.
❤
@@meatspear4205
Clearly school is out in Tennessee! Thanks for trying but some folks just can’t connect the dots.
Perhaps the staff of the DOT should give up their licences for the same period.
He was born in Canada not the US, they are correct and it is their job when they find these mistakes to correct them. What blows my mind is them just caving under pressure and not forcing the guy to just go get his citizenship.
@@RichardHeadGaming He was born to American parents, giving him joint citizenship. They withdrew a citizenship which was his by birthright, which is a breach of the UDHR. The only grounds where you might be right is if he'd chosen to renounce his American citizenship, which he hasn't done.
@@RichardHeadGaming Found the MAGA supporter...
@@JelMainAgreed, in the eyes of that one worker, he wasn't American but Canadian.
@@JadenYukifan28 I've the advantage of being a quarter Belgian, and worked in the European Diplomatic Service (economist on the CFSP Crisis Management team). Some Nations force a decision at coming of age, but it's unusual.
So, they decided he wasn't a citizen... In spite of being the son of US citizens.
Mr. O’Connor, Thank you for YOUR SERVICE to our country. The “On-Camera Politician” promised to fix the problem, off-camera he disappears until another reporter puts a microphone in his face. It’s wrong that one of our Veterans is forced to hire an attorney.
Disgusting example of abuse!
More like ignorance.
Now sue the DMV for violation of rights under color of law.
What's color of law.
@@zonian1966 driving is a right not a privilege mothers for drunk people on the road and into your house
@@mattschehr163 driving is not a right.
Won't work. The DVM is required to record proof of citizenship. Don't have it, too bad.
You took the words from my fingers...I'd sue the crap out of them, MAKE them issue a public apology. How TF can they do this? He served this country...he WAS BORN TO LEGAL U.S. CITIZENS EVEN THOUGH HE WAS BORN IN CANADA....
This is the result of "public officials" WHO ARE SUPPOSED TO REPRESENT THE CONSTITUENTS THAT ELECT THEM...said "officials" are woefully ignorant/lazy to TAKE THE TIIME TO LOOK UP INFORMATION ON THE BOOKS that can AVOID this embarrassing result. The stress they have caused this gentleman and his family is beyond comprehension😡
The incompetence of people working in the government is outstanding.
But isn't TN a deep Red state? You mean to tell me the magas can't run a government either? Oh, MY.
Why do you think we allow that? Are the citizens of that community just lazy for not auditing them?
The incompetence of someone living in the US and never receiving his US Citizenship Certificate is the problem here.
They followed the written laws of our constitution and corrected a mistake some ignorant person did. What is astounding is you not knowing giving birth while traveling makes that child a citizen of that Country, not the US. You do not have some strange birth right due to who your parents are if they traveled while pregnant.
@RichardHeadGaming Did you miss the part in the video where they mentioned that that's false, or are you trolling?
That commissioner has a napoleonic complex
Major screwup by the State and the DMV.
1) He is and always has been a US Citizen by birth. Federal Law on this going back to about when Thomas Jefferson was Ambassador to France makes the clear. This is why the Military and SS considered him a Citizen. Never any question. One glance at his birth certificate makes that clear to anyone who knows the Federal Law.
2) The Real ID law allows a State to issue a Drivers License that is not a Real ID. Notice that the State of TN just did that.
3) Real ID law requires that for foreign born US Citizens to get a Real ID that they get a Department of State Form regarding their foreign birth (and that Form did not even exist when this man was born).
The State should have informed this man of that, and provided instructions on how he could apply for that Form.
There are no age restrictions on a person applying for this Department of State form. While current Department of State rules request that parents do this before a child is 18, the child does not loose Citizenship if the parents did not do it.
The Department of State allows all foreign born children to apply directly for that document and provide whatever documents they have and applicable statements. There are countries even today where there are no formal "official" birth records, and the Department of State accepts statements in those cases.
Does anyone have any explanation other than "incompetence" and "power trip"?
Where is his US Citizenship Certificate? That is proof of his US citizenship.
I see...there are holes in this story then.
1. Did this mess start because the man only wanted a Real ID?
2. Was there no option to get a non Real ID?
I get it that he voted in elections, has a SSN etc but bottom line the agency needed something from the US Dept of State proving US citizenship. This could simply have been a passport but I guess as you mentioned one can apply for a letter from the Dept of State to be generated if he didn't have a passport.
Dear newstation, you could have just contacted the US Dept of state and had them generate the letter, no? Pounding on the DMV just made the department issue a non Real ID which is not what the man ultimately wanted but perhaps he was never given this option if his license expired while waiting.
I feel bad for the man but there are strict rules for documenting of proof of citizenship since a Real ID is a state license with Federal recognition. The Feds set the rules on who is qualified to get one.
Wrong, travelers always were warned if they are pregnant and about to travel abroad. If you have American parents and born abroad then you are not automatically a US citizen, you are a citizen of whatever country you are born in. The laws you refer to pertain to being born on what is considered US soil. An Embassy is its own local containment, a naval, Air force or Army base is considered US soil. But just having parents not in the military or an Ambassador does not make the child a US citizen lol. He is Canadian till he gets his Citizenship. The Military does not require citizenship, thousands a year of foreigners serve and or are trained by our military. You are partially right, but just misinformed. They gave a foreigner a license due to pressure not regulation or law.
@@RichardHeadGaming You are incorrect.
I suggest that you read Federal Law: 8 U.S. Code § 1401 - Nationals and citizens of United States at birth
In this case this gentleman falls under:
(c) a person born outside of the United States and its outlying possessions of parents both of whom are citizens of the United States and one of whom has had a residence in the United States or one of its outlying possessions, prior to the birth of such person;
There are multiple other sections that apply to children born to just 1 US parent.
I suggest that you read the whole thing (its only about a page long).
It would be a very unusual condition where the child would not automatically be a citizen at birth (and my understanding is that it involves someone who obtained citizenship but had not actually lived in the USA physically for a minimum amount of time such as 6 months or 1 year prior to the birth).
The reasons people are warned is that with the exception of certain very friendly and modern countries that official documentation of the birth may be hard to come by (and may never exist); and that medial cost may not be well covered and some countries would hold you hostage until medical is paid.
The State Department has procedures in place for countries without good (or any) official documentation of birth. But, its typically a more difficult process.
Have a great day,
@@boink800Since he was born a citizen, he would not have that a US citizen Certifiacte. That is only for those US citizens who became citizens through naturalization.
His attorney nailed it - the state DMV does NOT have the jurisdiction to determine citizenship. I wouldn't only sue, I'd leave that shitty state.
It has nothing to do with that , he was a citizen the whole time.
It should not be up to a State who is or is not a Citizen of the United States.
Go tell that to the Heritage Foundation.
It's not. NEXT!
You are totally correct. And it isn't.
@@xeutoniumnyborg1192 Heritage Foundation is against illegal aliens.. not legal migrants... However this guy was neither. He was US citizen.... with all the same rights as anyone else born in this country... including the right to run for President if he wanted.
States don't have that power.. and one thing you are missing is that he did not in fact have the correct paperwork to get a RealID Drivers License... He could have gotten the normal one. Because he was born outside the US he needed a specific form from the Federal Government stating he was a US Citizen, instead he had a birth certificate from outside the USA. It did have the proper checkbox on it that said he was a US citizen.. however that piece of paper is basically not a legal document that is approved to prove he was in fact a US citizen.
as a Navy brat who was born in Rota, Spain (USN Air Station Rota, 1959) ---- there are always assholes who try to deny citizenship. Actually, his status is defined in the US Constitution, if these anti - migrant bigots would actually read it. I was also constantly audited by the IRS in the late 1980s and early 1990s because the Dept. of Education requires proof of Selective Service registration. I didn't register _because_ _I_ _enlisted_ . ---- after serving 8 years in the US Army, I went to college to use the "benefits" a veteran is supposed to get, and got 4 years of harassment over finances and VA benefits. fwiw, people born in 1958 and 1959 were never required to register by law; the older law expired and wasn't renewed until 1960, and wasn't retroactive. Doesn't matter to bureaucrats.
💯
It outrages me every time I have to fill out a I-9 to get a Job and my DD-214 (8Years active NAVY) is not one of the allowed Documents..
As a person that works in the government, we're not allowed to do things we should be allowed to do and not lose our jobs. There is "guidance" that must be followed and frankly, my job is 100% more important than someone I'll never meet. The government jobs are contracted to for-profit companies, which gives them an incentive to find ways to hire less than skilled workers. There is a lot of cost cutting going on, much of the "government" is a company being paid to run part of the government.
In this case this man hasn't provided documents that are on an approved list. Certification of Birth Abroad isn't an acceptable document without many other documents where I work.
The real disappointment here is the commissioner not having done anything to actually help him navigate the situation and get what was needed.
Yes the US Constitution and Immigration does list this situation. He is 100% Canadian. His parents were not serving in the armed forces and protected against travel etc. They vacationed to Canada and made their son Canadian. Just because you are a Navy Brat does not make you intelligent obviously. A US military base is considered US soil. A foreign Country is not. The guy is Canadian and since they caved to pressure and gave a foreigner a license he will not be forced to just go get his citizenship .He could have fixed a life long oversight easily. Being a person that believes in our laws and Immigration process does make a person a bigot, it just means all they require is the guy follow the law. Thousands of non citizens serve or are trained by our military every year. Just serving in the Navy does not make you a citizen.
@RichardHeadGaming 😂😂😂 Both of his parents WERE serving in the US military when he was born in Canada, so your whole comment makes no sense.
Should never have taken this long, its a damn disgrace how the state treated this man, this VETERAN...
It's Tennessee. Home of the KKK.
It’s not over. TN still has not issued a “real ID” which they are legally obligated to do in this case.
This is what happens when FEAR overrides common sense in government.
Fear of what, the law and regulations state clearly we as Americans do not give licenses to Canadians, they are allowed to drive here in the US with a Canadian license. We can not issue him one, so either go to Canada and get one or just become a US citizen, simple.
@@RichardHeadGaming you're good at missing the entire point. 🤣
I think it's time to cut back on some of the new agencies that got started after 9/11. They exist merely to give out jobs and higher paying administrators.
@@RichardHeadGamingWhy? He is not, and has never been, Canadian. US law is quite clear on what makes someone a US citizen, and he absolutely meets the criteria.
@@PaulGuy How hard is it to understand a law outlining the ability and how to achieve is not at question. His parents refused to fill out the necessary paperwork (Consular Birth Certificate) to make him a US citizen. Just because the law says he can be does not make it so if you do not follow the guidelines of the law. You are not magically stamped on your forehead at birth showing your citizenship. He was left a Canadian born citizen intentionally by his parents for whatever reason they chose when he was born.
This is mind blowing, absolutely mind blowing! What incompetence! I'm a 76 year old Army veteran, I salute you for sticking with it and getting your license!
Some Tennessee bureaucrat made a personal decision out of pure ignorance. The lack of knowledge appears in many who are in positions of authority.
Now let's get that Veteran in Florida his official citizenship and his driver's license back as well.
My thoughts exactly!
Typical Tennessee. The attorney needs to hold the state and DMV accountable. Sue the hell out of them.
Imagine any citizen without press or the money to afford a lawyer in a situation without this. Why do our officials not take their responsibility to citizens like the police, etc?
Because the guy is Canadian, imagine if he just went down and filed his paperwork to become a citizen and then he would not have this problem instead of whining about it to a dumb reporter that twists the facts and misrepresents the situation. He was in fact born in Canada and by birth rights he is Canadian. This is his parents fault for not listening to warnings about traveling abroad while pregnant.
@@RichardHeadGaming He may qualify for Canadian citizenship, but by US law he was born as a US citizen. Both parents were married to each other and US citizens temporarily in another country. He's at least as much a US citizen as you or I.
@@kaseyboles30 Yes if and only if he was born on US soil, being born in another country makes a citizen of that Country, clearly written law. That is also why they tell pregnant expecting women when they travel the perils of such lol. Birth to US or Canadian citizens etc does not inherently give the child rights. Location, Location, Location. Try reading more. Hence, why traveling Military mostly do not have issues with birth because cases are considered US soil. Now if they are off base at birth the child has other problems, but easily remedied. Normally, the other service members lie/cover for them.
@@RichardHeadGamingyour name says it all. You are just trolling or you are hubris fool and have no idea what you are talking about.
It's government workers doing the least amount of work as possible.
I am so proud of this gentleman protecting his rights and the rights of others by calling out the state officials hats off to you, sir and thank you for your service to our country. God bless.
I hate that it takes being embarrassed on TV for a State official to act when they could have put some REAL Effort to get this done! I hope the Lawsuit will make this incident a singular event and allow others in a similar predicament not to go through this as well.
I’m a Tennessean and I’m so sorry this has happened but knowing the state, I’d say yup, sounds bout right. Thank you to the media for digging in and not taking apathy for an answer.
The level of incompetence at the state and federal levels is truly disturbing!
How is this federal? Does the federal government now run Tennessee?
This is not incompetence. This is a deliberate act of the government of the state of Tennessee who does not recognize anyone as a citizen unless they were born in Tennessee to parents and grandparents who were all born in Tennessee and area a lifetime card carrying member of the Republican party. My cousin was arrested in Tennessee years ago. It was Halloween and he had attended a Halloween party in another state and was driving through on his way to California. He was also dressed up in his Halloween costume as a female witch. He was stopped for having out of state plates. He was arrested for and charged with impersonating a woman and sent to prison where he died years later by "suicide." During his stay he was treated brutally in part for being from a northern state and having a northern accent. In part for driving in Tennessee without a valid drivers license ( at the time Tennessee did not recognize driver's licenses from other states as valid) and in part for being homosexual. That last one was never proven but under Tennessee law he was declared homosexual due to wearing the witch's costume. He was arrested in 1956 and I remember being in grade school when I saw my grandmother crying and she had just found out her oldest grandchild was dead. I was born in 1959. I can't remember if I was in first or second grade at the time. I have known a few people who lived there and one told me that they were given a difficult time trying to get their Massachusetts license changed to a Tennessee license. The DMV person told my friend that they don't automatically recognize Yankee licenses as valid and that he would have to apply for a learner's permit and take a road test all over again. They would not recognize his Massachusetts license as valid ID. They gave him a hard time because as part of the process you have to provide a county issued birth certificate. Massachusetts counties don't issue birth certificates. Towns and cities do. You can also get a certified copy of a birth record from the state. But no county in Massachusetts ever issued a birth certificate. So because of that he had to spend months trying to prove he was born. It literally took a letter hand signed by the governor of Massachusetts and another letter from the then attorney general of Massachusetts for Tennessee to recognize the validity of a birth certificate issued by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Then, after all that he still had to have a valid licensed driver take him to the DMV for the road test and so he had to hire a driving instructor to do that. Meanwhile they confiscated his car since he was not a licensed driver and he could not prove to their satisfaction that he was legally registered in Massachusetts as they did not accept his Massachusetts driver's license as proof of ID and you need proof of ID to register a car and so when the Massachusetts registration expired they impounded his car. It was auctioned off months before he got his Tennessee license.
Meanwhile they would not accept his children's school credentials to register for school since they didn't recognize Yankee credentials at the time. His eldest son had been a sophomore at English High School in Boston and had a 4.0 GPA. They would not let his son register as a junior at the local high school because they didn't accept his son's birth certificate as proof of age for the same reasons as above. Same with his younger daughters who were to be registered in middle school and elementary school respectively. His three children stayed at home for a year not attending school because the school would not recognize their validity since they were from Massachusetts. Then the county had the audacity to arrest me friend for not sending his children to school and he spent a month in jail while his three children were in juvenile detention for truancy. He finally proved to law enforcement that his children were being denied an education for lack of credentials. So they gave him his children back but not before his middle child had been brutally assaulted by a girl who was there for killing her mother. My friend's daughter now has a permanent scar on her face as a result. Meanwhile he lost his job which was the whole reason he went to Tennessee in the first place, for a job offer. Finally his children were permitted to register for classes a year later after missing a whole year so all three were held back a year and the eldest was denied acceptance to multiple universities due to his imperfect attendance. He was in Tennessee for about three years total and as soon as he could he moved back to Massachusetts. But Tennessee was not done with him yet because they issued a warrant for his arrest for kidnapping and denying his children attendance in their schools. Seems they lost the notice he gave the school district that his children would be attending school in Massachusetts that following year. Supposedly he was supposed to meet with a social worker monthly and have a home inspection due to the missed school. They had tried to charge him with child abuse over that even though it was the county that kept his kids out of school. So he went to work for this high tech company in MA and after a few weeks the results of the background check came and it said he was wanted in Tennessee for the above things and he was fired from that job and had to hire a lawyer remotely from Massachusetts to represent in in Tennessee to cancel the warrants.
Neither he nor any member of his family have stepped foot within 500 miles of Tennessee since. Even when he took his kids to Disney World years later he didn't want to fly within 500 miles of Tennessee so he flew to Bermuda and then to Orlando and flew back the same way. He refused a major promotion that his employer offered him because it was located in Atlanta which is less than 500 miles from Tennessee. FYI, Massachusetts is 574 miles from Tennessee in a straight line from the two closest points.
I live in Florida. I was born and raised in Massachusetts. I will never step foot in Tennessee for any reason not if you offered me a billion dollars. Every person I have ever met who came from Tennessee left because of how horrible it is there.
I dislike your post. Hundreds of thousands of people kept this country running and when one horrible pack of men far from Fedral power does something wrong, all you can see is a chance to insult and slander. Please don't do that.
Since when is citizenship required for a DL? Legal residency is what is required?
Conservative states are trying to make life miserable for immigrants.
The problem in this case is if someone thinks they are a citizen but cannot prove it they also wouldn’t have proof of residency. If they had proof of residency from USCIS than they would not be a citizen.
TN only issues "Real ID", which requires proof of citizenship or legal residency. The federal laws are badly written, and the state regulations are worse, IMO.
It has been required for many years.
It's TN and the inability to see beyond their own noses. Also it's the DMV. I live in New England and have had run ins with personal at the our equivalent of the DMV who seem to make it up as they go along.
Don’t bother with that RealID thing. Get a driver’s license and a passport card.
Until he actually becomes a US citizen he can not get a real ID or a passport.
You can’t fly without it.
I got an actual US passport
...ignorance must be bliss.
Driver's licenses must be RealID compliant.
What drives me crazy is that the onus is 100% on YOU to fix their mistakes. Sometimes it's an impossible task. You shouldn't have to resort to lawyers and the media to take care of a mistake someone else made that is screwing up your life. There needs to be some sort of ombudsman specifically for dealing with issues like this. Someone that will help you quickly and for free. I went through this with the city of Lawrence, MA. Out of the blue they sent me a parking ticket, for a car I didn't even own in a town I'd never been to. I had to fight to hell and back to get rid of it.
Guilty until proven innocent.
Thank you to this station for all ur help for him!
Find out if he has to pay that lawyer and if so, start a go fund me for him if he needs that help... bc that is ridiculous. He should be suing for the fees but... who knows.
Thank you guys and thank you Sir, for ur service!!! 🇺🇲🇺🇲🇺🇲 Much love from Ohio!!!
Thank you for advocating for our citizens.
They are twisting facts, he is not a US citizen he is Canadian. Educate yourself, if you are born in another Country you are not American. He does not have a right to license nor can they make him passports. He needs to do citizenship paperwork.
@@RichardHeadGaming In addition to the naturalization process, the United States recognizes the U.S. citizenship of individuals according to two fundamental principles: jus soli (right of birthplace) and jus sanguinis (right of blood).
The US Embassy. You do not outrank the US Department of State.
So, feel free to spread your below five year old ignorance in hell, where you were born.
@@RichardHeadGaming You are not a citizen of any country unless THAT country-NOT YOU-says so. EACH country has their OWN laws that, surprise! surprise! may be different from the laws in the USA.
That's not the only DMV with it's head up it's butt. I had a friend who was told that her Alaskan license was not valid because Alaska wasn't a US state. This was in Texas. She protested and did get it, buit mostly because she appeared ready to fight the issue and the head of the department did not want to be bothered.
Completely insane!
They treated a U.S. citizen n Veteran like this ! Absolutely disgusting!
Vote people ! Demand Accountability for our citizens!!!
My brother was born in France on an AFB. He couldn't get a passport or license because our government said he wasn't a citizen! It took him a couple years to sort it out.
An AFB is considered US soil. Glad they sorted it, but if he was born off the base in France he would have had a bigger problem lol.
I don't think that you even have to be born on base (or post in my case). I was born in Germany, and my birth certificate is in German. Near as I can tell it is from a local hospital. Certainly not the language of choice that you would expect to be used on an American post (Army brat here).
By happenstance, I also live in Tennessee. I wonder if Mr. Blackburn needs locals to join this lawsuit?
@@RichardHeadGaming Well, no it's not. And there are plenty of "hole-in-the-wall" posts/bases that either don't have a hospital, or if they do, don't have a maternity ward.
I was born in a German hospital in Frankfurt while my father was serving in the Army. More to the point, it also happened to be where mom was when the time came around for me to appear.
My birth certificate is in German. However, I am not a German citizen. And to the best of my knowledge Germany was not one of the countries the adhered to "Jus soli", or "Right of the soil" in the fifties.
(I just looked it up) Since 2000, Germany, and other EU countries have lightened up a bit, and you can become a citizen of your birth country under some conditions. I'm happy where I am at.
-------------
Now to transition on to a related topic, let's talk about Birth Tourism. Or "Do unto others as they have done unto you".
Basically most of the Americas (North, South, and that bit in the middle), practice some form of "Jus soli". So maybeeee have your sons and daughters take advantage of it (the children will still be American citizens), specifically in a country that has great fishing and is easy to get to from your place. If you know what I mean. Wink-wink. :)
And why do people think that Tennessee is full of a bunch of numb nuts?
This was just wrong to do this
It is law and correct, he is Canadian by law not a US citizen and they had every right to deny him. This is not rocket science and his service did not make a citizen. Educate yourself and stop letting the news dictate the story by twisting facts. The guy should have just gotten his Citizenship. It would be easy for him since he has been here so long, but his service does not make him a citizen.
@@RichardHeadGaming both of his parents are US citizens- He is a US citizen.
@@RichardHeadGaminghows russia today?
@@RichardHeadGamingtake yourself and your made up laws back to Russia
@@RichardHeadGaming both of his parents are U.S. citizens as it says on his birth certificate. He is a citizen. Example: 2 U.S. citizen soldiers are stationed in Germany. Is the baby a citizen- Answer YES.
I didn't see any state official on camera say this man wasn't a US citizen. The issue was he didn't have the documents required to get a Real ID. This man's issue wasn't resolved. He got a TN driver license, but he wanted a Real ID.
That tells you don't go to Tennessee
I agree, don’t move to Tennessee, too many have moved here from California already lol.
Absolutely. Don't move to Tennessee. I'm under the impression it's full.
You should be proud that they followed the regulations due to law. He is "Canadian" and not American. They can not under law and regulation issue him a license and passport. The simple answer is him going and getting his citizenship paperwork done. He has been married to an American for decades.
@@RichardHeadGaming How did he vote in every federal election?
@@RichardHeadGaming Lol you are digging that hold DEEP. 100% wrong but what do facts matter to people like you?
Thanks for the followup !
Tennessee, you have enough problems. Letting this get this far does not speak well of you.
Don't you love it when agencies make arbitrary policies?
More like the law around Real ID needs to be rewritten as this man isn't the only one to have this problem.
This is a problem with how the original 'real-id' laws were worded.
It's an illegal federal ID.
Actually not. The Real ID law allows the States to issue Drivers Licenses that are not Real IDs.
The Real ID law also directs that any foreign born US Citizen (of which he clearly was) needs to also submit a Department of State Form recording the foreign birth; and told him how to apply for one.
There is no age limit for someone to apply for that Department of State Form, and with his documents it would have been automatically issued without question.
I put this down at massive ignorance of TN officials and implementing people on the Real ID law and processes.
Thank you for your service
Mr. O'Conner, Veteran of the USA NAVY .
Thank you News Channel5 for staying on this case until it was resolved and making this known to we the people.
Where has all the common sense gone🤷🤷
I wish l had the answer.
The way common sense has flown to who knows where has been very telling for some time. Society in this country has devolved at a rate I can honestly say I didn't think I'd still be around to see..
It is not allowed under the new Trump Party.
Outstanding!!!
Apparently, TN thought it was sovereign to federal authority, the latter recognizing the vet as a US citizen. It's the only thing that makes sense to this author.
Apparently you have no idea that serving in the US armed forces does not make you a citizen, but it makes it easier to become one. Every year non citizens are trained by and or serve in the US military. It just makes them a mercenary.
@@RichardHeadGaming No, but they don't discharge you as a US citizen unless you are one. And his discharge paperwork marks him a us citizen.
@@RichardHeadGaming Apparently you have no idea when someone IS and when someone ISN'T a citizen regardless of any paperwork.
@@JillofAllTrades2 You can say you are anything and it does not mean anything unless you can prove it. Period.
@@JillofAllTrades2 It is very simple, yes he had a right to be a citizen, yes he could have been a citizen. But his parents did not do the paperwork, and over 70 years he did not even try. So he is not a citizen. He even being a Canadian only had to fill out and file two other papers they told him to file and he didn't and this is the outcome. The news article is deceiving the public either intentionally for a story or he has lied to them and they refused to just do a little research. A law by itself does not just magically make you a citizen, paperwork does. Even a child born at home in a secluded Mountain in America and raised without ever being documented will be considered not a citizen (Legally) till they prove and document such.
Remember Sleepless in Seattle. The little girl said “if it’s on their computer screen, they’ll believe it “. Here we are. No critical thinking skills whatsoever!
Thank You for your service Sir ❤
I’m really happy that someone stepped up to the plate and did what was necessary, This I’m sure this went viral, I heard about this in Jacksonville, Florida , good for you, thank for your SERVICE
This is what happens when you make weird laws that make it difficult for people to get their ID and vote.
TN state law allows legal residents to get driver licenses. If they think he's not in the country legally, then they should follow up on that as well … but they did not. TN picked which parts of the law they want to enforce.
In spirit I heartily agree with your sentiment. I will point out however that INS alone is allowed to enforce a great many of the laws and rules surrounding immigration. As far as we know Tennessee notified them and they said "bugger off that's stupid". I don't think police are allowed to do anything about unlawful immigrants beyond notifying ins, and even then there are limits.
@@kaseyboles30 (pssst ... it hasn't been the INS for quite a number of years now, but I know who you're talking about.)
A friend of mine is a resident alien, originally from the UK. She's never had a problem getting the drivers license. The Real ID took almost a year. Despite providing, Birth Cert, Green Card, Passport, all residences for the past 50 years. Turned out the problem was Dept of HS-CIS. Arguably the most screwed up Federal conglomerate ever created. Offices in the same building do not communicate on issues. Narragansett Bay
The problem is a non citizen does not have a right to US passport lol. Nor do we have a responsibility to issue a license. Non citizens drive on their Country of origins license. So not sure you know what your talking about here. Not even sure how she has stayed that long without returning to her country of Origin from time to time to do paperwork etc. So a real ID should fall under passport rules since they are essentially a passport and can not be given to foreigners.
@@RichardHeadGaming Lawful resident alien. Most of the rights, privileges, and duties of a citizen. Not all though. No voting IIRC, and disbarred from many official offices.
@@RichardHeadGaming Non-citizens who are lawful US residents get a driver's license from their state. You present your foreign passport with proof of legal residency. If you are a Lawful Permanent Resident you don't absolutely need a Real ID because your Green Card is a valid ID for air travel.
@@RichardHeadGaming My firend never learned to drive in the UK, and still maintains UK citizenship/ She married an American serviceman and received her Drivers license's in Hawaii, VA, FL and finally RI. She is a resident alien, covered by Soc. Sec etc. She was advised that a white-star license was not required as she has a bio-metric Green card and UK passport.
@@RichardHeadGaming A lot of local law enforcement agencies do not recognize foreign driver's licenses. Several Canadian citizens are in jail in the US as I write this for committing the crime of driving in the United States under a valid Canadian driver's license. They legally crossed the border at a checkpoint and drove south and as soon as they got to Dixie they were pulled over and arrested for driving under a foreign driver's license. One got as far as my state, Florida, and is still waiting to get out of jail.
Several states have the option of either a real ID or a non real ID license for someone who is a resident but not a citizen. For example, A neighbor of mine is from England and is working here under contract with a company here. They have been here long enough to obtain citizenship but they intend to return home to England there. They pay all the due taxes and also taxes to the UK as well. He has a son that just turned 16 and wants to drive. He is will be a junior at our local high school in a couple of weeks. He was just issued a learner's permit here so he can drive. He does not have a real ID.
Under international law we have reciprocity agreements and treaties with a number of nations that require us to recognize certain rights of visitors. UK is one of those countries and Canada is another yet many states illegally ignore this.
Also a real ID is not a passport. It does not function as one. If you visit Canada and return without an actual US Passport you will find it very difficult to come home. I live in Florida and I remember years ago you could visit most places in the Caribbean without a passport. A valid Florida DL would get you almost anywhere a US citizen can travel to. But then the state dept. after 9-11 changed the rules and now requires a passport for reentry. so I can't even go on a day trip to Bimini without one and in fact it is advised that if you get on a boat and travel into the Atlantic ocean past the international border and return you can be denied permission to get off the boat if you don't have a passport with you. The real ID's primary purpose is to ensure that you are who you say you are while flying. It is also required for some coach busses depending on area and carrier.
The Tennessee Department of Safety AKA the Tennessee Department of Stupidity.
Pathetic what the state did, nobody should have to go through that egregious b.s.
Thank you for reporting on and following up with this story. Local journalists are so necessary.
The department of motor vehicle is not in charge of citizenship or immigration
No but citizenship affects the kind of license you can obtain in most states. The federal government has made laws that put an identification burden on state DMV's. Those state's governments have further passed laws affecting this and have often made those laws arbitrary and ambiguous. Florida requires that you show a birth certificate issued by the county where you were born. I was born in a state where counties do not issue birth certificates, only towns and cities do. But my state's DMV employees have been empowered to have a certain amount of latitude in this matter and so they will recognize a city or state or nationally issued birth certificate. Other states don't. It is not a matter of being in charge of citizenship but rather of recognizing the validity of it.
@@nunyabiznez6381 No, citizenship does NOT affect the kind of license you can get. ONLY your immigration status matters. Anyone who is residing here legally gets EXACTLY THE SAME LICENSE as anyone born here.
@@JillofAllTrades2 I live in Florida. I have been informed by DMV employees that if you want a REAL ID driver's license you must be a US citizen. Everyone else gets the old driver's license. For identification purposes that would require something similar to a REAL ID for non citizens they suggest a passport from your home country. Perhaps other states do it differently. Several of my coworkers are not citizens and they have a non REAL ID license.
This was the dumbest story. If the Federal Government says a document proves citizenship, then every state needs to recognize that. It isn't hard.
This is a similar situation that happened with Senator Ted Cruz. He was born to american citizens in Canada, and had both American and Canadian citizenship.
Senator Cruz renounced his Canadian citizenship in 2016.
@@boink800 And ?
I used to hold a triple citizenship. I was born in the US but my parents were *legal* immigrants who were headhunted to come here because they each had much desired and badly needed professional degrees; they met while working here, decided to marry and become naturalised citizens. I went to their naturalisation ceremony (I was 5), so I am a natural born US citizen, plus I qualified as a citizen of the countries each of my parents were from. More and more, I regret my decision to drop my passports from my other countries, effectively dropping citizenship. The US is getting scarier and scarier--at the time I made my decisions to drop my other passports, I never dreamed things would get this bad.
I am an US citizen and an Irish citizen. Ireland used to have a law where if you could prove you had at least one grandparent who was an Irish citizen you could obtain Irish citizenship even if you've never been to Ireland. I was born in the US to parents who were born citizens. My mother had three grandparents who were born in Ireland and one in England. Her parents were born in the US. All her grandparents became US citizens. Under Irish law she applied for and obtained Irish citizenship which qualified me as well. Neither of us had ever even been to Ireland and I never obtained any Irish identification papers. I merely have the documents proving my citizenship. This makes it legal for me to one day visit and stay as long as I like and without a visa. Otherwise I would need a visa. I just have to bring my citizenship documents with me when I go. I am planning to go there after retirement and do about six months worth of family history research and a tourist visa will only permit 60 days and it's a lot cheaper to live there than to fly back and forth. I have no intention of ever renouncing my US citizenship which I consider my primary loyalty. The US requires renouncing all foreign citizenships in order to be naturalized but it does not prohibit obtaining additional citizenships after the fact. On my father's size I am a 16th generation American with two ancestors who signed the Declaration of Independence and 12 direct ancestors who would qualify my female relatives for membership in the D.A.R. So there is no way I would ever renounce my US citizenship. But Ireland does hold a special place in my heart none the less. My aunt was born in Canada and married my uncle who was a US Navel officer. He was barred from certain positions in the navy for having a foreign born wife. He was not permitted access to certain kinds of information but then his particular area of specialty didn't really need it. He was in the dental corps. My Dad was an E3 during Korea and had access to information his brother who was an O-3 at the time did not. Funny how that works. Anyways my aunt wanted duel US citizenship but the state department wouldn't let her keep her Canadian Citizenship and become a US citizen so she did eventually renounce her Canadian citizenship. Then years later she reapplied for it and it was automatically granted without it affecting her US citizenship. But then when she heard that Ireland was going to change their citizenship laws she applied for and got Irish citizenship due to having an Irish grandmother who came to Canada in 1898. So she ended up with triple citizenship as well. One of my cousins who was a natural born US citizen applied for and obtained both Canadian and Irish citizenship when his mother obtained her Irish citizenship and he has also obtained citizenship from Turkey. It seems you can buy citizenship from Turkey and he did. He has a home there and citizenship makes it easy for him to do his archeological work there.
@@nunyabiznez6381 When my mother, father and many paternal aunts and uncles became naturalised US citizens, there was no requirement to renounce foreign citizenships, so my parents and relatives were/are dual citizens to this day.
The only requirement regarding travel is that when you leave the US on a trip, you pick the passport you intend to use for your trip and stick with that passport until you re-enter the US. So when I left the US for a few years in my teens to live in England, I travelled under my UK passport the entire time (which included visits to the Republic of Ireland, Norway and France as well as Scotland and Wales) and same again when I lived in England again for a few years in my 20s.
Actually, I could have used my US passport but it was a bit of "up yours" to Sinn Fein and the IRA--at that time, I had a cousin in Her Majesty's service and he was stationed in Northern Ireland. Everyone in my family, including my English aunt and uncle with whom I was staying, felt I would be marginally safer with a US passport and a student visa (good for a year at a time) but if Jason was in danger, well, "up yours" to the Provos, I was doing what I could to stand in solidarity with him. It was also an "up yours" to all the despicable Americans who saw nothing wrong with sending financial support to terrorists, which I will never understand (and will never understand the people who voted one of those eejits into office).
If I were just travelling for shorter periods of times, I just used my US passport, since it was easier.
What is wrong with Tennessee? If he is not a citizen none of us are. What happened to common sense? I am glad he got his driver's license but it should have never gone this far.
It never should have happened to a vet..🤬
For Bureaucrats"
Job#1- Do as little as possible.
#2- CYA
#3- Blame someone, ANYONE
Else.
Before commenting on your great news coverage of this Veteran, I must comment on the lady newscaster!
Thank you for your decency! ! 1 Smiles and appreciation! Too many women look like they are advertising their bodies in a wrong way doing news and weather. Than you for looking like a LADY intelligent, decent, and making it possible for all of us to listen to WHAT you are saying. And you are beautiful in a pure way.
He should move back to Ontario, get a license, live here for six months and not have to worry over his health care, The USA is weird. Had a family member accused of draft dodging in the 1960's for the same issue. Born in the USA to Canadian parents.
That did make him a US citizen and not Canadian, he would have to get his Canadian citizenship or denounce his citizenship here. So yeah they legally had a right to expect him to register here till he did one or the other.
The United States Constitution gives him US citizenship if he was born "on US soil". He could even run for president. No clue what Canadian law says here.
@@RichardHeadGaming Canadian law says otherwise.
@@RichardHeadGamingHe automatically has Canadian citizenship by being born in Canada
@@RichardHeadGamingWho made him a US citizen? Where's the proof?
TN should pay the legal fees!
He still needs Real ID (or a passport) to fly even domestically.
Who says he will ever fly. I'm 67 and its likely that my flying commercial airlines is over due to some medical issues. But, I can still drive and ride in a vehicle.
not until May 2025.
Then he needs to either go to Canada and get one or become a citizen. He is not entitled to special rights just because he is married to an American.
@@RichardHeadGaming Both his parents are/were U.S. citizens. His parents are the ones that messed up when he was a minor. There's a form to fill out that they never did.
@@RichardHeadGaming He was born to two married US citizens, that makes him a US citizen ab inIto (from the start).
When u think bureaucrats can not be dumber.
Still take them to court....
This whole fiasco was absolutely insane.
I'm glad this gentleman is getting his identification & life back.
Glad to see the situation was corrected!
It is not corrected, they caved to pressure and issued a license illegally. He has to do his paperwork to be a citizen, he is Canadian atm.
@@RichardHeadGaming He is actually a US citizen. If you have one parent who is a US citizen, it does not matter where you are born, you are automatically a natural born US citizen even if you are born on Mars on a Russian space colony. To qualify as a natural born citizen you need only one of two things. Have on parent who is a citizen or be born on US soil. An exception to the 2nd one is if you are born in a foreign embassy to foreign parents or if your country has a special treaty with the US agreeing to other arrangements and Canada does not. According to Tennessee's interpretation of citizenship, if you are born on a military base located outside of the United States to parents who are US citizens you are not a US citizen which is absolutely not true. If what I say in this post is not true then Ted Cruz who was born in Canada and Mitt Romney's father, who was born in Mexico, would not have been eligible to run for president and both were confirmed by the Republican controlled supreme court to be natural born citizens as per the constitution and federal immigration law. .
@@nunyabiznez6381 It is not magical and a birth certificate is not magically vaporized out of thin air. Paperwork has to be done, or no they are not. The Country where the person is born is going to file the proper birth certificate regardless if they become a US citizen or not. If they never apply for citizenship under the law they are a citizen of the other country. Just because words in a law say they are/can become a citizen inaction can make it void. He is Canadian.
@@RichardHeadGaming Again, it does not matter where in the universe you are born. If either of your parents are US citizens on the day you are born then you absolutely are automatically a US citizen no paperwork needed to prove that except for a birth record showing the name of at least one of your parents being a US citizen. You need nothing else. No additional paperwork is required. No special procedure is needed. There is no applying for citizenship if you are born a citizen period. No magic involved. That is the way it works. I don't know where your silly ideas come from.
Common sense is not a requirement for working in the government.
Is deplorable is this is the State of affairs of the United States deplorable same thing happened to me I had a license and I moved to another state and they wouldn't because I didn't have all my documents that I needed and I had the most important ones which was my army discharge and my honorable discharge
WHUUUT???😳
YOU HAD PERTINENT LEGAL DOCUMENTS ISSUED BY THE GOVERNMENT YOU SERVED AND PAID TAXES TO BUT THEY DID THAT TO YOU😡
Our son also had to declare US citizenship and had to pay for the certificate. He was born in Germany in 1980 while we, his parents were in the military. We did not get a birth certificate because we received a government form “child born abroad of US citizens”. Our son used this form as a BC all thru school and to join the US Airforce which he has since retired from. His birth status was questioned when he applied for a Passport which was after 9/11.
Could have come to Maryland and gotten a license without proof of residency or citizenship.
No, you cannot. Believe me: Even getting a Maryland Non-driving I.D. is near impossible without the help of a social worker unless you have several 'identity proofs' as they call them. I personally had to jump through hoops to get a non-driving I.D. recently since I am not safe to drive anymore and even if I was still safe to drive had only two of the required 4+ identity proofs.
WELL THE SAME THING HAPPENED TO ME AND MY HUSBAND MICHAEL HE WAS BORN HERE IN NJ AND I CAME FROM CUBAN
OVER 60 YRS AGO. I ITHINK THIS IS BEING DONE SO THEY CAN PULL ANOTHER FAST ONE WITH THE ELECTION AGAIN😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡
I feel sorry for this man. And it is morally right to feel outraged at his treatment. But the law does not provide for automatic citizenship to a child of U.S. citizens who was born abroad. The law states that a person born abroad in wedlock to two U.S. citizen parents acquires U.S. citizenship at birth under section 301(c) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), if at least one of the parents had a residence in the United States prior to the person’s birth. In other words, you have to prove these facts before you can claim U.S. citizenship and acquire all related benefits. Holding a prior State Driver’s License or serving in the military is not considered proof of citizenship or lawful permanent residence when it comes to immigration law. But someone should have helped this veteran get what he needed!
But they didn’t have any problem recruiting him and anything that happened in the decades since then??? Your words are many but hens lay eggs, @bwanagoes!! It’s not only always the fault of the citizens. Sometimes obviously it’s just overreacted powerplay of incompetent people with inferiority complex.
You are incorrect. US Federal law does (and always has) provide that the child of a US Citizen born overseas is automatically a US Citizen at birth. Federal Law makes it perfectly clear that he was a US Citizen at birth.
What is needed to get a Real ID is a Department of State form stating he is a citizen. He, and anyone else born overseas with at least 1 parent as a US Citizen, can apply to the US Department of State and provide the documents or information they have and get that form. the Department of State even understands that there are other countries in the world where there are no formal birth records on file and acts just on personal statements for those countries.
However, the US Government considers him a Citizen even if he never gets that Department of State form (which is why SS and the Military considered him as a Citizen)
The TN Department of Motor Vehicles had no reason to deny him a drivers license and should have notified him that he needed that Department of State form for a Real ID and how to apply for it.
@@perryallan3524 And that took them 50 years and a war…???
You need to look at the law at the time of his birth:
"The following shall be nationals and citizens of the United States at birth:
(c) A person born outside of the United States and its outlying possessions of parents both of whom are citizens of the United States and one of whom has resided in the United States or one of its outlying possessions, prior to the birth of such person;"
The constitution prohibits "after the fact" laws so this is what makes it crystal clear he's a US citizen by birth.
@@perryallan3524 Read the law, quote it in your response and then tell me how I am wrong.
There has been a few on the news like him, they all need to get together and go to court!
Unbelievable. This country is messed up
Everyone bitching needs to understand the person was doing their job. It’s not the DMV’s fault if his documents weren’t filed correctly.
Had he truly been illegally here yall would be demanding he be deported.
Total BS. 1) It is very clear that he is a US Citizen. Federal Law going back to when Tomas Jefferson was Ambassador to France makes that very clear (and anyone who knows the Citizenship requirements would have looked at his birth certificate and known that he was unquestionably a US Citizen).
2) The Real ID law does not prevent a State from issuing a Drivers License that is not a Real ID. Notice how the State of TN recently acknowledge that and issued him a new Drivers License).
3) The Real ID law does require that any foreign born child Citizen get a Department of State form regarding their foreign birth. The State of TN should have told him that and provided instructions on how he could apply for that form.
There is no age restrictions or requirements that parents filed paperwork earlier for a person to file for and get that form as long as they can provide evidence of their foreign birth (and the Department of State knows that there are countries where there are no "official" birth records - and just works from statements and any other evidence).
I just see massive incompetence at the State of TN DMV and Real ID departments.
@@perryallan3524 thanks for the information.
@@perryallan3524 If he's a US Citizen, where is his US Citizenship Certificate? That is proof of being a US Citizen for those born outside of the US.
@@boink800A military Id is also proof, but you ignored that conveniently
@@boink800 I would like to point out that the current "US Citizenship Certificate" did not exist when he was born.
It's a relative recent document all things considered.
He could not have gotten one when he was born, nor served in the Military, etc.
He only needs it now if he desires to get a Real ID. His current documentation proves he is a US Citizen (and the State of TN has caved on that by issuing him his drivers license).
I lived in Tennessee for awhile in the early 80's. On our second day there, there was a group of men with white capes standing on a corner by Walmart inviting people to their "rally" I asked the Walmart clerk about it and she whispered that it was the Klan, and don't ask about them.
I was born in Europe to US citizen parents , been in the US since 3 years old , at 50 I went to get my passport and took both of my birth certificates , they refused them saying I needed to get a single one issued .... in Europe , I asked how I could get to Europe without a passport to get a birth certificate in person when I didnt have a passport ... the people running the Govt are inept
Do not get too excited yet ! The state saying they will give him a license but does say when ! Do not drop your law suit , & add the state DMV .
He is Canadian, not a US citizen. Everything they have done is by the book, except them giving him a license the first go round. What the guy would be better vested in is just doing the paperwork to become a citizen.
@@RichardHeadGaminghe’s not Canadian- both of his parents are American. It takes years to get citizenship if he needed to do that (he doesn’t). My son was born in Germany to American parents- he is not German. He is American and had to register for the draft, pays taxes,etc. US law says he’s American, not German.
@@RichardHeadGamingWhile he may qualify for Canadian citizenship (I know nothing of their laws on this) his being born of two us parents makes him a US citizen based on the laws of the time (40's) and I believe current law as well.
And it was automatic, the only paperwork needed was don, namely his birth certificate. And I don't think was actually required, just strongly recommended. In the 40's we weren't so drowned in paperwork.
As best I can determine this was the relevant federal law from 1940-1952:
"The following shall be nationals and citizens of the United States at birth:
(c) A person born outside of the United States and its outlying possessions of parents both of whom are citizens of the United States and one of whom has resided in the United States or one of its outlying possessions, prior to the birth of such person;"
About time! TN, you owe this man one heck of an apology. NOTHING is worse for him that what you tried to do. You stole his life, identity, and confidence.
I hope the veteran gets 100,000 dollars from his lawsuit.
Government bureaucrats are the ones who never have common sense they have so much red tape they don’t know what to do😂😂😂
Thank you for calling attention to this!
As a Canadian we see stuff like this in our media frequently, particularly in places like Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama. State offices and even police officers will refuse Canadian credentials.
One woman driving home to Toronto from Florida, not only had the validity of her Ontario, Canada, driver's license questioned, but was told that the driver's license was not valid for driving in the U.S. She was fined, and imprisoned.
She was not released until court was told point blank that was blatantly incorrect by their own state's attorney.
A Canadian cold front is preferable to the hot reception some Canadians get down south.
Praise God, he's got his driver's license back!
Brother You are a True American I Honor You keep the faith.
A bureaucrat decided that he’s not a citizen!! Typical government BS.
So sorry you’re going through this and thank you for your service!❤️🇺🇸
That man should not drop the lawsuit cause it will happen to someone else.
So a 5yr old gets it... Our govt was too dumb to figure out this simple issue. I'm happy they're still suing. TAXPAYERS are sick of paying for dumb govt...
The power of the media for some reason always impresses me, some times in a good way others in not a good way.
As a European who has lived all over the world, I have never come across a restriction on a drivers license based in citizenship before. The only question is whether you have passed the test or a test in another country deemed equivalent or above. This seems just mad to me from its fundamental starting point
Please consider who's saying citizenship is a requirement. They are showing their ignorance and that they have never lived anywhere other than maybe the state of Tennessee 🙄
No apology though or admission of incompetence. How obscene.
I live in Tennessee and I'm over 60, i can tell you this state has changed into a terrible place to live, people use to help their neighbors and everyone waved at you weather you knew them or not. Now that don't happen and there are still some good neighbors but very few
I don't think Tennessee was ever a good place. In the 1950's my cousin was driving through Tennessee from a Halloween party where he had dressed up as a witch what with it being a Halloween party. He was stopped for having an out of state license plate, a felony at the time it appears, and was arrested and charged with impersonating a woman. He was found guilty and died in prison from "suicide" over a decade later. My grandmother attempted to claim the body but Tennessee informed her that his body was the property of the state of Tennessee and as such they buried him in an unmarked un numbered grave on prison grounds and she was denied the right to visit his grave. No lawyer in Tennessee would take the case when she tried to obtain his body for burial in his home state of Massachusetts citing that they don't represent Yankees. I have never been to Tennessee. The United States Bureau of Engraving and Printing in all it's history has not printed enough currency to pay me to come within spitting distance of Tennessee. I have a friend who had a similar but more devastating experience with the state of Tennessee who after three years of hell living there finally escaped with his family back to Massachusetts and Tennessee still tried to have him face charges for things the state forced upon him against his will. After a few years of living back home in Massachusetts he was able to afford to take his family to Disney World in Orlando Florida. He took a flight out of Logan International in Boston to Bermuda then a flight from Bermuda to Orlando International out of fear that if there was an emergency on any domestic flight going to Florida there was a remote chance of stopping in Nashville and his children were terrified of such a nightmare scenario. He turned down a promotion that would have paid him three times as much because it was going to transfer him to Atlanta and he vowed never to come within 500 miles of Tennessee ever again. Massachusetts and Tennessee are 574 miles at their closest points.
@@nunyabiznez6381 Wow. I am so sorry to hear this. It must be the heat messing with people's brains because it seems the further south you go, the stupider you get.
@@JillofAllTrades2 I live in Florida and my IQ is 132. Try again.
Tennessee - if the TN govt is such nitwits, i'll never visit or move there.
Nothing surprising in this incompetence or ignorance.