Are US citizens obligated to disclose foreign citizenships to US border patrol upon entry?
I am a United States citizen. However, I reside in the Middle East. Upon hearing this, a US border patrol officer asked me to disclose to him all other citizenships that I hold.
I know that US border patrol has the right to determine an individual’s admissibility to the United States. However, given that I am a US citizen, could I be arrested/denied entry if I do not wish to disclose my other nationalities for privacy reasons?
Best Answer
According to ACLU:
Agents at ports of entry may question people about their citizenship and what they are bringing into the country. Even though you always have the right to remain silent, if you don’t answer questions to establish your citizenship, officials may deny you entry to the U.S. or detain you for search and/or questioning
So you must answer every question related to your US citizenship when you get to the border, but on every other question you may remain silent. What other citizenships you have is completely immaterial to your status as a US citizen and therefore CBP officers can't demand to know that information.
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Can the US border deny entry to a US citizen?
The same is true for lawful permanent residents: you generally cannot be denied entry to the United States, but declining to answer questions may result in delay or further inspection. Refusal by non-citizen visa holders and visitors to answer questions may result in denial of entry.What are my rights when crossing the US border?
You have the right to remain silent or tell the agent that you'll only answer questions in the presence of an attorney, no matter your citizenship or immigration status. You do not have to answer questions about your immigration status. You may simply say that you do not wish to answer those questions.What does US Border Patrol look for when crossing?
Various types of tax information such as any Delinquent Tax payments. Current Job. Complete history of all border crossings \u2013 including state ports where there are border checks. Frequent traveler memberships such as Global Entry or NEXUS.CHANGES TO US TRAVEL SYSTEM FOR US CITIZENS AND NON-US CITIZENS | JUNE 27
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