Recently, my partner at law, Paola C., of Belize sent me a letter describing her case in which she was found by her employer to be not of nationality birth, despite having been born in that country. The reasoning of her employer, according to Paola C., was that the government of Belize prohibits dual citizenship (i.e., citizenship of both Belize and USA). Consequently, if Paola C. had chosen to become a US citizen while working in Belize, her status would have been voided, as it is prohibited by the government of Belize for a person to have more than one nationality.
This is an unfortunate example of nationality issues arising from a country’s attempt to uphold its policy of nationhood through all of its territories. Although Belize is a Western Hemisphere country, the view of its national borders is not centered on ideology but on economics. As a result, Belize regularly finds itself with citizens who choose to live beyond its reach by choosing a nationality other than those that are deemed “the national group” by that government. Belmopan’s decision to enforce its laws prohibiting dual citizenship even for people whose choices of nationality have occurred outside of Belize may ultimately prove economically and politically self-defeating.
For her part, Paola C., believes that citizenship is a basic human right that should be protected from attempts to alter this sacred and timeless decision. In addition to being forced to give up her citizenship and lose access to certain privileges of a second nationality, a person who loses her citizenship often faces harsh consequences such as loss of right of citizenship or deportation. She notes that Belizean citizenship laws are inconsistent with international human rights standards and urges the immediate release of all political prisoners, without exception.