More than 30 years ago when I immigrated to the US, applied for citizenship and took the 100-question civics test, the one part of the naturalization process that left the deepest impression on me was one question on the N-400 form, which asked: “Have you ever been a member of, involved in or in any way associated with any communist or totalitarian party anywhere in the world?” Answering “yes” could lead to the rejection of your application. Some people might try their luck and lie, but if exposed, the consequences could be much worse — a person could be fined, imprisoned, or be deported and banned from re-entering the US.
The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952, passed amid Cold War-ear fears of communist infiltration, authorized the exclusion of any aliens on the basis of membership in or affiliation with a communist or totalitarian regime.
In October 2020, US Citizenship and Immigration Services issued guidance stating that association with or membership in a communist party “is inconsistent and incompatible with the Naturalization Oath of Allegiance to the United States of America.” Although the guidance did not name any specific country, it was clear that it was directed at the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Several observers said that the resurgence of such Cold War-era ideological scrutiny, beginning under US President Donald Trump’s first term, was aimed at immigrants with ties to the CCP.
I have lived in the Washington metropolitan area for more than three decades and have witnessed many protests and demonstrations in that time. However, I have never seen someone fly a Chinese flag — except on two occasions. The first was during former Chinese president Jiang Zemin’s (江澤民) visit in 1997, and the second was during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) visit in 2015.
On those occasions, Chinese community groups and associations waved Chinese flags outside the White House to welcome them. At the same time, Taiwanese Americans and other groups, such as Tibetan refugees, stood across the street waving the national flags of the Republic of China (ROC) and Tibet in protest.
Even the US — regarded as a nation founded on freedom and democracy — is intolerant of the CCP and its flag. Here in Washington, I have never seen people openly flaunting the flags of other communist countries. Restricting individual freedoms for the sake of protecting national interests is a universal principle applied throughout the world.
I visited Taiwan a few years ago and was shocked to see Chinese flags flying in the streets of Taipei. For a moment, I thought the nation had fallen. Taipei Railway Station was filled with homeless people and migrant workers, resembling refugees in a poorly managed country. I did not know what to say to my foreign friends. Former Taiwan People’s Party chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) was mayor of Taipei at the time.
Not too long ago, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) supporters openly flaunted Nazi symbols. Meanwhile, Chinese nationals have deliberately waved — and even planted — Chinese flags on Taiwan’s soil, with some claiming it as an act of “freedom” — a ridiculous and infuriating notion. Would someone dare fly the ROC flag in Tiananmen Square?
KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) compared President William Lai (賴清德) to a dictator, but from my perspective, Taiwan’s level of freedom and democracy far surpasses that of the US — it could even be said it is beyond all control. The KMT should stop making itself the world’s laughingstock.
Tiffany Chen is a reporter for the Pacific Times, a Chinese-language newspaper based in California.
Translated by Kyra Gustavsen
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