🔆 Debate on citizenship laws focusing on US changes under Trump administration and India's laws with emphasis on 'jus soli' vs. 'jus sanguinis' and the implications of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). 📍Citizenship Principles: ✅Jus soli: Citizenship determined by place of birth. Ex: US (historically), Canada, Brazil. ✅Jus sanguinis: Citizenship determined by parent's nationality. Ex: India, Egypt, Germany. US Citizenship: ✅14th Amendment: Grants citizenship to all persons born or naturalized in the US. ✅Trump's Executive Order: Aimed to limit birthright citizenship, requiring parent's citizenship or green card, but was stayed by a federal court. ✅Historical Context: US Supreme Court upheld birthright citizenship in 1898, irrespective of parents' citizenship. 📍India's Citizenship: ✅Citizenship Act, 1955: Governs citizenship in India. ✅Evolution of Laws: 🔸Till 1987: Jus soli followed. Anyone born in India was a citizen. 🔸1987-2004: Jus sanguinis introduced. One parent being an Indian citizen was required. 🔸Post-2004: Stricter rules. Both parents must be Indian citizens or one parent a citizen and the other not an illegal immigrant. ✅Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), 2019: 🔸Grants accelerated citizenship to religious minorities (Hindus, Christians, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis) from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh who entered India before 2014. 🔸Excludes Muslims: Raises concerns about discrimination and secularism. ✅Government's Stance: Claims it is to protect religious minorities facing persecution. ✅Current Status: Validity to be decided by the Supreme Court. Key Issues: ✅"Right to have rights": Citizenship as a fundamental right (Hannah Arendt). ✅Illegal Immigration: Concerns about illegal immigrants, particularly from Bangladesh. ✅Secularism: CAA's exclusion of Muslims raises questions about secularism in India. Possible Questions: ✅Prelims: Which of the following statements regarding citizenship principles is/are correct? Jus soli grants citizenship based on descent, while jus sanguinis grants it based on place of birth. The 14th Amendment to the US Constitution enshrines the principle of jus soli. India has consistently followed the principle of jus sanguinis in its citizenship laws. (a) 1 only (b) 2 only (c) 2 and 3 only (d) None of the above ✅Mains: Discuss the evolution of citizenship laws in India. To what extent do the recent amendments raise concerns about the principles of secularism and equality enshrined in the Indian Constitution? #gs2 #prelims #polity #polity_governance