Ann Coulter Suggests Denying Citizenship to Blind, Disabled Immigrants-Truth!
Summary of eRumor:
Ann Coulter, a conservative commentator and author, said immigrants who are blind or are in wheelchairs should not be granted citizenship.
The Truth:
This one is true.
Ann Coulter made the remarks during a June 2015 appearance on the Simon Conway Show, a syndicated talk radio program. Coulter was talking about the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) waiving citizenship requirements when she said:
“The INS is waiving many English-language requirements for immigrants. And that obviously goes to the heart of it: Are you switching allegiances? Do you love this country? Beyond that, how about the wheelchair only section, how about the section for the blind? Look, we wish these people well, but we’re not running a charity here. It’s insane for any country not to be using its immigration policies to bring in people who are better than us, not people who are going to immediately need taxpayer assistance. We already have our own poor people. And, again, this includes all the immigrants who have come in forever and are here now. It’s people who live in America we should be taking care of, not bringing in people we have to help.”
It’s not clear what Ann Coulter is referencing when she talks about a “wheelchair only section” and a “section for the blind.” But, in the past, immigrants who were unable to complete a naturalization interview, a naturalization test and take an oath of allegiance due to a physical disability were unable to be become naturalized citizens.
That policy came to light during the 1990s. A 25-year-old immigrant from India who had lived in the U.S. since she was a baby was denied citizenship because she had cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy and other illnesses that made it impossible for her to recite the oath of allegiance.
President Clinton signed a bipartisan bill into law in 2000 that granted a waiver to immigrants who qualified for citizenship but were unable to complete the process because of a disability.