Emigration, Immigration, Naturalization and Italian citizens

Over 25 million Italians have emigrated between 1861 and 1960 with a migration boom between 1871 and 1915 when over 13,5 million emigrants left the country for European and overseas destinations.
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Aether
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Joined: 14 Dec 2007, 07:15
Location: Americas; Italy

Emigration, Immigration, Naturalization and Italian citizens

Post by Aether »

To all:
Yes, I can imagine that Immigration Laws in the US do not favor South Americans as they favor Chinese, Taiwanese and other Asians and South Asians, and it facilitates visas to EUR.

It is just of human nature of some to take advantage of some legal, or para legal situations.
However, it is always unfair to generalize, on devious reasons to seek Italian citizenship.

I am a historian, resident in the US, and know well the hardships Italian endured settling in other countries.

In Brazil and Argentina during the WWII when Italians, Germans and Japanese nationals had all bank accounts frozen, summer properties on the sea shore and yachts confiscated and so on, and never returned on false pretenses.

A disgrace that also in the US penalized even more Japanese, 2d. and 3rd. generations!

Italians were hard working and contributed a great deal to their adopted countries, many did not naturalize and were penalized financially and otherwise during the WWII - the dictatorship of Getulio Vargas!!!

This situation created a strong sense of being ITALIAN, which the fathers and grandfathers passed to their children. A strong emotional and intellectual attachment , in particular among the well educated, and well educated parents which thought them Italian language and Italian culture. I read Tasso and Dante at age 13 with my grandfather!
And did sneak around to read some Arentino!

I am sure this reflects on the desire to BE ITALIAN, to many foreigners not to be perceived as a potential ENEMY, a second class citizen!
And this desire still prevails!

I read the other day a good description of how Italians were treated arriving in Ellis Island! PLEASE See the site on BOCCHIGLIERO and the situation of poor Italians arriving under the embracing statue of Liberty!

It made me cry! My grandfather was a diplomat, and thus not subjected to the same treatment, but told me how it was, and he did all he could to help!

Yes, I was born abroad, I have inherited property in Italy, speak Italian, know Italian art, history, archeology , etc. Know Italy well from little villages in the mountains to the Sapienza !I am emotionally and intellectually ITALIAN! So, as many others like me, I am not looking for tax breaks and so on...Just really going home...to love Italy!

Aether :) :) :)
P.S. is Calabria becoming Asian?
"Fiori di grano.
Amici piu' di prima saremo;
Amici piu' di prima da lontano".
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