In letter to Meloni, Basil Russo and fellow presidents urge fair treatment for millions of Italian Americans who were arbitrarily swept up in Italy’s crackdown on ‘improper practices.’

 

Dear Prime Minister Meloni: 

We write on behalf of the individual presidents of the 71 cultural, fraternal, charitable, educational and anti-defamation organizations that comprise the membership of the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations (COPOMIAO) to respectfully express our strong opposition to the sweeping decree that significantly restricts eligibility requirements to obtain Italian citizenship by descent. 

The reason being given by Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani for the change is that there are over 60,000 pending applications for dual citizenship, and that the Italian government is trying to curb the recent surge in applications to root out “fraud” and “improper practices”. The vast majority of these pending applications are from only two countries, Brazil and Argentina. If restrictions or quotas are necessary to correct abuses, they should be placed on the residents of countries who have abused the process, not on Italian Americans living in the United States, who have not done so. 

Historically, Italy sent over four million immigrants to the United States between 1880 to 1920, more than any other country in the world during that period. Today nearly all of the children and grandchildren of those immigrants are deceased, with only their great-grandchildren and their descendants remaining. The new decree will now prevent nearly all of the 18 million descendants of those immigrants from applying for dual citizenship. 

This new decree is not just about passports. It’s about heritage, identity and justice for millions of Italian Americans who have maintained a cultural and familial connection to Italy for generations. Italian Americans are extremely proud of their heritage, but this decree sends the uncomfortable message to us that our motherland is not equally proud to claim us, because it chooses to enact laws that will make it more difficult for Italian Americans to maintain their historical bond with Italy. 

Please understand that we, the undersigned leaders of the Italian American community, respectfully request that this new decree be abolished so that the great-grandchildren and their descendants will once again be allowed to apply for dual citizenship. 

 

Respectfully, 

Basil M. Russo, President

Italian American Conference of Presidents

 

Click here to view all letter co-signers (English / Italian)