In July 1944, as World War II raged on, Congress passed a law to permit renunciation of U.S. citizenship by persons physically present in the U.S., which up to then had not been possible. The law was one of many aimed at interned Japanese Americans; it was a significant break from the earlier attitude, expressed as far back as Talbot v. Janson in 1795, that the U.S. should not allow loss of citizenship in wartime. The Seattle Times has more on the effects of this sordid provision in their 2004 article on the topic.
Surprisingly, the latest immigration reform bill in the Senate proposes the repeal of this law; see § 3713 (page 645) of the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act. This odd historical provision probably has very little effect on Isaac Brock Society readers and other former U.S. persons — most of whom instead relinquished or renounced after moving abroad and naturalising as citizens of their new homes or taking up government employment there. But read on if you’re interested in the gory details and the rationale behind the repeal …