Why I Gave Up My U.S. Citizenship

     

P.T. Freeman is a pseudonym for a friend and business associate who is a former U.S. citizen. This is his story of how he reached the breaking point of giving up U.S. citizenship.

Have you ever been to Key West, Florida?

A landmark in Key West is a marker at the corner of Whitehead and South Streets that says in big letters: "Southernmost Point Continental United States." Above it reads in smaller letters: "90 miles to Cuba." Visiting this concrete marker recently made me pause and reflect upon a major decision that I made a few years earlier: the choice to give up my U.S. citizenship.

Getting Out: Your Guid... Ehrman, Mark Best Price: $1.70 Buy New $14.00 (as of 12:20 UTC - Details)

This process started when I found that there were many restrictions on my ability to travel or do business outside the United States because of my U.S. citizenship. For instance, I had long desired to visit the Republic of Cuba, but because of my U.S. citizenship, I could not do so. Canadians, Mexicans, Europeans and every other nationality may travel and do business there, but with limited exceptions, U.S. citizens have not been excluded from Cuba for nearly 50 years.

Getting Out: Your Guid... Ehrman, Mark Best Price: $1.70 Buy New $14.00 (as of 12:20 UTC - Details)

As I thought about this prohibition and the many others established by statute or executive order, I became outraged. Finally, in 1994, I read a story that galvanized me to take action. The story was about a group called the "Freedom to Travel Campaign" that sought to end these travel restrictions. This group had challenged Treasury Department regulations prohibiting such travel. However, the Clinton Justice Department, perhaps fearing that juries would side with these "tourist lawbreakers," declined to prosecute the cases.

In reaction to the failure of the Justice Department to prosecute these tourists, the Treasury Department amended the regulations to make it possible to fine persons violating travel restrictions administratively, without going to court. The U.S. Treasury Department administers these and other sanctions programs through the Office of Foreign Assets Control.

Despite the risks, I decided to secretly visited Cuba. I flew to Nassau, the Bahamas, and embarked upon the daily direct flight to Havana on Cubana de Aviacion, Cuba’s national air carrier.

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June 18, 2010