In retrospect, Professor Wole Soyinka’s dramatic decision to tear up his U.S. Green Card shortly after Donald Trump’s election was unnecessary and deeply disrespectful to the country that had legally granted him residency.
While protest is a legitimate expression of personal conviction, every privilege carries responsibility. The U.S. Green Card, governed by the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), Section 101(a)(20), confers lawful permanent residence, not as a token of sentiment, but as a legal contract between the individual and the U.S. Government. It signifies a continuing relationship of trust, allegiance to U.S. laws, and recognition of America’s sovereignty.
To publicly destroy that document in protest of a democratic election outcome was not only symbolic defiance; it constituted a rascally, voluntary renunciation of residency rights. Under 8 C.F.R. § 103.2(b)(1), such voluntary abandonment may lawfully lead to revocation or termination of immigration benefits.
The U.S. Government, therefore, is justified in revoking Soyinka’s visa privileges or denying future entry. It’s not an act of political vindictiveness as some allege, but a matter of consistency with immigration law and national dignity.
One may admire Soyinka’s courage and intellect, and many of us do, but wisdom also requires discretion. His protest could have been powerfully expressed by returning the card formally to the US embassy with a letter of principle, not through a public gesture of disdain.
America owes him no apology for acting within the law.
Great men sometimes err, and this, quite simply, was one such moment for Kongi !
LA
WOLE SOYINKA: AMERICA IS RIGHT
BY LOLU AKINWUNMI
