INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL: PRIVILEGE OR CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT?

In recent times, the benefits of having a U.S. passport have been diminished due to the ability to have another passport, known as dual citizenship. Multiple/dual citizenship/nationality is a legal status in which a person is concurrently regarded as a citizen of more than one country under the laws of those countries. There is no international convention that determines the citizenship status of a person; rather, it is defined by different nations’ laws which may vary and conflict with each other. Different countries use different and not mutually exclusive criteria for citizenship.

Many people are holders of two or more passports. Even if U.S. authorities seize an individual's foreign passport, no one can prevent them from contacting the embassy or consulate of their country to obtain a new passport, which they can use to leave the United States freely. Therefore, it is necessary for U.S. authorities to verify that people departing the country are allowed to do so by using personal or even biometric data, regardless of their citizenship or passport.