In chapter 23 of Americanah, Obinze makes a deal with these Angolans to set up a green card marriage with a girl named Cleotilde. She was a UK citizen and Obinze’s visa just expired. He decides to marry a stranger to be able to gain UK citizenship. If an immigrant marries a citizen of that country then they are able to obtain citizenship for that country. Obinze goes to the London building to register for a marriage license and woman walks by saying, “Look how crowded this place is. It’s all sham marriages, all of them…” (Adichie 286). This worried Obinze because what he was doing was a scam to get his citizenship and what the woman was saying was true.
I chose this section because it is so interesting how this is very common everywhere. But, Obinze’s case was unfortunate in the end and does happen to other immigrants. There are many options to obtain a green card and I find it crazy how many people cheat the system to be able to obtain green card status. Many immigrants who have American children can sponsor their parents but that’s a long process waiting for the child to turn 21. So, it does make sense for many to go for marriage since it’s a quicker process.
Do you think marriage to obtain citizenship should be allowed? Do you think there should be certain limitations or checks for marriages?
“Chapter 23.” Americanah, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie et al., Penguin Random House Grupo Editorial, 2017, pp. 281–291.
This question that you are asking is really a question that we are having to deal with a lot in the U.S. in todays society and it is a little bit of a hot topic. In my opinion, I believe that it is wrong for someone to just come here and get citizenship just because they are married to an American citizen. This quote from Priye really explains how the people that are just looking for citizenship really think. “That girl never understood the first rule of life in this Lagos. You do not marry the man that you love. You marry the man who can best maintain you” (Adichie 492). Immigrants like this are really just using the people that they are marring just to be a citizen in the U.S.. Yes, there are occasions that are true and they immigrants marry the American because they love them but that is less likely than them just wanting citizenship. I feel like they should be required to become a citizen before they are allowed to get married in the U.S.. If they become a citizen before getting married, then they won’t have to live a lie and risk the chance of getting caught by ICE or another department that deports illegal immigrants. Get the citizenship to make sure that they can’t deport you and then instead of just marring someone that you have no feelings for go and find someone that you will love just like they love you.
My question is that if the U.S. starts and tries to require citizenship before getting married for immigrants, do you think that the number of illegal citizens will rise because they don’t want to put the effort into becoming a citizen first?
Adichie, Chimamanda Ngozi. Americanah. Penguin Random House Grupo Editorial, 2017.
The question you ask about if marriage for a green card should be illegal is a very serious topic that is hard to place an opinion on. For immigrants marriage can be done as their only choice such as Obinze who has tried many proper ways to properly file for a green card and becomes desperate just to survive.
The topic of getting papers appears frequently throughout the book as Obinze and Ifemelu try to get theirs. However, in chapter 41, Adiche brings in an interesting note when Aisha ask Ifemelu how she obtained hers. Adiche writes “A sacrilege, that immigrants did not ask other immigrants how they got their papers, did not burrow into those layered, private places” (450). It is important to think about why this is a questioned not asked. It could be because of the variety of ways immigrants recieve their papers which could be from properly applying or creating a sham wedding. If it is not a legal or moral way then immigrants may not ask the question because of embarrising responses. While Ifemelu found a moral way through work and has no trouble responding, Obinze may react differently to a question like Aisha asked.
What could be other reasons immigrants don’t ask each other each other how they obtained their papers?
Adichie, Chimamanda Ngozi. Americanah. Penguin Random Grupo Editorial, 2017.
Answering if marriage for citizenship should be illegal or not is hard. Marrying someone with a motive or entering a one-sided love relationship is awful. However, post our class discussion on Wednesday, I resonate with the quote “Do by all means necessary.” In the book, Adichie shows Obinze making an effort to get close with Cleo and a mutual understanding between the two (248). Today there are immigrants in such dire situations where marrying for citizenship is the best option. Sometimes you have to do what you have to do to survive, even if the decision is not the best. Adichie also shows in the book the freedom to travel with citizenship. When Ifemelu was asked if she could cope when returning home, she was told she could always go back to America because she had citizenship (320). Her citizenship gave her the option to have an alternative safety net that others do not have. There are immigrants stuck in unimaginable environments and immigrants like Obinze with a clean record and still get denied. There should be limitations on forced/arranged marriages among other things, but if both parties willingly agree I have no problem with it.
Why do you think immigrants with clean backgrounds get denied citizenship? What steps do you think we should take to help immigrants in dire situations?
Adichie, Chimamanda Ngozi. Americanah. Penguin Random Grupo Editorial, 2017.