The American lawyer Adriana Maria Ruggeri criticized, in an article published in Il Fatto Quotidiano, this Sunday (20), the Decree Law 36 / 2025, which restricts Italian citizenship by descent to the first two generations. For her, the new rule “betrays an old promise” made to Italian emigrants of the 19th and early 20th centuries.
“The principle of citizenship jure sanguinis seemed untouchable,” he wrote. “Today, with Decree-Law 36/2025, this principle seems to have been betrayed.”
The decree, which must be passed into law by May 26, particularly affects descendants in South America, such as Brazil and Argentina. “These citizens are now being denied a historic right,” Ruggeri warned. The government claims to combat abuses and manage the large volume of requests, but according to the lawyer, “the abuses are marginal and statistically irrelevant phenomena.”
Ruggeri recalls that, during the debates on the first Italian citizenship law in 1912, "a senator stated that the recognition of citizenship by blood would allow emigrants to be welcomed 'with open arms' upon returning to their homeland, even after generations."
She disputes the view of the Italian government, which, in her words, “flattens the complexity of this bond to a merely numerical and bureaucratic logic”. The lawyer argues that the link with Italy, even after generations, remains: “For the first emigrants, this link manifests itself as pain and longing; over time, it turns into curiosity, a desire to learn and recover one’s identity. But it never disappears”.
In the article, Ruggeri also mentions the “Ulysses syndrome,” a concept coined by psychiatrist Joseba Achotegui, which describes the psychological suffering of emigrants separated from their origins. “The value of this concept goes beyond clinical diagnosis: it shows that the bond with one’s roots is indestructible.”
The lawyer also criticizes the lack of distinction made by the decree between the applicants’ contexts. “There is no distinction between those fleeing economic and social instability in South America and those in the United States who want to actively contribute to Italy.”
She recalls that Italian-Americans “have always played a crucial role: sending remittances, helping in World War II, participating in the landings in Sicily, supporting the Marshall Plan and keeping Italian culture alive abroad.”
Faced with the demographic crisis in Italy, Ruggeri asks: “With whom do we intend to repopulate Italy, if not with those who feel Italian in their blood, in their hearts and in their family memories?”
For her, it is necessary to “leave aside the fear generated by incomprehension and incapacity” and value the potential of descendants of Italians throughout the world.
* * *
Read the full article
I do not agree with restrictions on citizenship by descent: this is how an ancient promise is betrayed
“The Italian government must urgently reconsider the restrictions imposed by DL 36/2025, taking advantage of the positive aspects that this phenomenon represents.”
By Adriana Maria Ruggeri
In 1912, during the preparatory work for the first law on Italian citizenship, a senator stated that the transmission of citizenship... jure sanguinis — already provided for in the Civil Code of 1865 — would allow Italian emigrants in the Americas to be welcomed “with open arms” upon their return, even after generations. Today, with the introduction of Decree-Law 36/2025, which is expected to eventually become law by May 26, this principle appears to have been betrayed.
DL 36/2025 imposes significant restrictions on citizenship by descent, limiting access to only descendants of Italian citizens up to the second generation. This measure, justified by the government as necessary to prevent abuses — marginal and statistically irrelevant phenomena — and to deal with the high number of applications, particularly affects citizens of Italian origin in South America, especially in Argentina and Brazil, who are now being denied a historic right.
This decision ignores the “Ulysses Syndrome,” a concept developed by Spanish psychiatrist Joseba Achotegui, which describes the stressful condition experienced by migrants due to separation from their homeland. Its value, however, goes beyond clinical diagnosis. It makes it clear that the bond with one’s roots is never broken: for the first emigrants, it often manifests itself as pain and longing; over the generations, it can transform into curiosity, a desire for knowledge and identity recovery — but it never disappears.
The legislator, on the other hand, ignores the complexity of this link, reducing everything to numerical and bureaucratic logic. He does not distinguish between South Americans — many of whom are fleeing conditions of instability that are not only economic — and North Americans, who see Italy as the homeland from which they descend and to which they want to actively contribute. Italian-Americans, in particular, have historically played a crucial role for Italy: with economic remittances, support in the Second World War, the landings in Sicily, the Marshall Plan, and a political and cultural influence that fueled the love for Italy overseas.
In a country facing serious depopulation and zero demographic growth, the question is: with whom do we think of repopulating Italy, if not with those who feel Italian in their blood, in their hearts and in their family memories?
The Italian government must urgently reconsider the restrictions imposed by DL 36/2025, taking advantage of the positive aspects that this phenomenon represents, without fears arising from incomprehension and incapacity.
Read here the original version
(AI Translated)
FOLLOW-US
