A'LIEN (ante). In the United States, an A. is a person born out of the national jurisdiction of the country, who has not been made a citizen according to law. Chil dren of U. S. ministers, born abroad, are citizens ; so are children born abroad whose father has been a citizen and resident of the United States ; so are children of American parents born at sea on vessels under the flag. An A. is not subject to military or jury duty ; nor, though naturalized, can lie be president or vice-president of the United States. With regard to the two usual modes of acquiring property, by purchase, and by descent, an A. may acquire title by purchase, conveyance, or devise ; and may hold, in the absence of restraining statutes, subject to an inquiry by the state ; then if he be found legally an A., the land may be adjudged to the state. But such confiscation is rare, the occasions being generally met by special acts of legislature authorizing by his name "an alien to hold," etc. An A. can convey no better title than lie possesses. In case of descent, no title passes and no inquest is necessary; so a citizen's brother may inherit from a brother though their father was an A. The drift of statutes, and especially
of late legislation, is liberal towards aliens. In most states an intention to become a (Mizell puts the A. almost on the plane with a citizen. In taking, holding, and dispos ing of personal property there is no difference between the rights of an A. and of a citi zen. But laws of congress prevent an A. from procuring copyrights. An A. enemy cannot make a legal contract with a citizen ; such contract is unlawful from its incep tion ; but an A. friend, resident or not, may sustain an action in our courts for invasions of personal or property rights. The act of 1798 authorizes the removal of the aliens of a country with which we may be at war; and, on the commencement of a war, the A. of the enemy loses his status in courts, and his property can be confiscated ; but these statutes have never been enforced. There was once a custom of having a jury half of aliens when an A. was party to a suit, but that custom is disused.