Letter to the editor: Dual citizenship should not be an issue

Regarding the letter “Oz’s dual citizenship a concern” (Aug. 21, TribLIVE): A man is born in the United States, grows up here, is educated here and makes his career here. He is American in both form and substance.

Is he any less American because he holds citizenship elsewhere? If so, perhaps we should draw the line even further.

Shall we doubt the American-ness of someone who’s just eligible for dual citizenship? That would cut away millions more potential candidates, unbeknownst to many of them. Excessive time spent having lived abroad may be suspicious too. A non-citizen spouse. Previous employment for a foreign company. A little too much interest in foreign languages.

We can sculpt unofficial eligibility “criteria” until our candidate pool is whittled down to a group of sheltered individuals who have never touched something foreign. But that wouldn’t be very American, nor would it serve us in choosing the most qualified elected officials.

The year is 2022, and the reality is that millions of Americans are born dual citizens or even pursue dual citizenship in adulthood.

Attack Dr. Oz’s policies, not his personal background.

Parviz Malakouti-Fitzgerald

Los Angeles, Calif.

The writer, a Pennsylvania native and dual citizen, is an immigration attorney.