Concern is growing among the Samoan community in the United States as to why US nationals from American Samoa are made to go through the naturalisation process to become US citizens.
Tafesilafai, an organisation devoted to maintaining the Samoan culture, says while American Samoans enjoy unlimited rights to travel to and from the United States they are excluded from voting in the US.
Reverend Misipouena Tagaloa of Tafesilafai says to have a group of people that are considered to be Americans, but are not allowed to vote in the US, must violate some fundamental tenet of the US constitution.
He says that when a US national wishes to be a US citizen they are required to attend a citizenship class, pass an interview and biometrics exam, pay an $80 fee, take a physical examination which requires a separate fee, and then pay a $595 fee before they can be considered for naturalization.
The organisation says many US nationals find this too much of an inconvenience.
