Daniel Kamalić, a 48-year-old opera tenor from New York, never imagined wanting to be anything but American. His father, Ivan, had fled communist Yugoslavia in the 1960s, risking his life for the freedoms the US offered. But under a second Trump administration, Kamalić is now pursuing Croatian citizenship by descent, driven by fears over declining arts funding, rising antisemitism, immigration raids, and cuts to Medicaid. 'The more that happens, the more I worry about it being in the realm of possibility: to need to become a political refugee from the US, the way my father was a political refugee from Yugoslavia,' he said.
Kamalić is not alone. A growing number of US citizens are seeking dual citizenship through ancestry, a trend experts attribute to political instability and the Covid-19 pandemic. 'It has really highlighted the insurance value of a second citizenship. That’s new for Americans – this idea of having a plan B,' said Peter Spiro, a law professor at Temple University.
Citizenship by descent, or jus sanguinis, allows individuals to claim citizenship if they have a parent or grandparent born in another country. Many nations, including Croatia, permit dual citizenship, making it a relatively straightforward path for those who qualify. Applicants need patience to navigate bureaucracy and may benefit from knowing the target language, but the process avoids expensive visas or long waiting periods.
Different events have spurred Americans to act. For some, it is the erosion of reproductive rights; for others, fears for transgender children or the sense that hard work no longer guarantees a good life. Kamalić filed his application this spring, hoping to secure freedom to travel and work in Europe. 'If worst comes to worst, I want that escape route,' he said.
