Princes and Potentates? You Must Be Kidding
The citizenship oath, which requires immigrants to renounce loyalty to “princes and potentates,” is getting a makeover after half a century.
“It’s being recrafted so it has more meaning to those who are raising their right hand and swearing” the oath, said Eduardo Aguirre Jr., director of Citizenship and Immigration Services in the Homeland Security Department.
The language is being reworked to “make more sense to the brain,” Aguirre said. “We’re abjuring and renouncing princes and potentates. Do you think that’s outdated? I don’t know any potentates.”
The updated oath will be made public Sept. 17.
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