A Note on the Puerto Rican De-Naturalization Exception of 1948.

In 1948, Congress enacted corrective legislation amending the citizenship provisions of both the Jones Act of 1917 and the Nationality Act of 1940. Under prevailing naturalization laws, a person born in Puerto Rico who acquired a U.S. citizenship under the terms of the Jones Act was given a naturalized citizenship status. It followed that Puerto Ricans, like other naturalized citizens, who continuously resided or worked outside of the United States for five or more years were automatically denaturalized. The Pagán Amendment of 1948 sought to correct this problem by establishing that Puerto Ricans were not naturalized immigrants. Drawing on publicly available archival documents, this note explains the key debates shaping the legal contours of the Pagán Amendment of 1948. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]