Is being born in this country not good enough to be an American citizen anymore? Will this help "solve" the immigration issue? Will telling illegal immigrant parents that their children cannot be citizens even if they are born here really stop them from illegally coming to this country for a better life? What exactly will this accomplish? What are the motives behind this bill? How do you interpret the 14th Amendment? Read the article below for the debate on Birthright Citizenship. What do you think?
14 states may target birthright citizenship
By Liz Goodwin
Monday January 3, 3:11pm ET
Arizona state politicians will introduce model legislation this week to encourage states to prevent children of illegal immigrants from being granted citizenship under the 14th Amendment. Lawmakers in at least 14 states have said they are committed to passing the legislation targeting birthright citizenship. Arizona's anti-illegal-immigrant bill, SB-1070, was also based on model legislation that could be easily copied by states, and at least seven states are likely to pass bills similar to the first Arizona immigration overhaul this year, according to one analysis by an immigrants rights group.
[Related: Immigrants push for driver's licenses and financial aid]
Arizona state Senator Russell Pearce will unveil the bill Jan. 5 in Washington, D.C., the Arizona Capital Times reports. The paper says lawmakers in Alabama, Arizona, Delaware, Idaho, Indiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas and Utah have said they want to introduce similar legislation this year.
Pearce argues that the "original intent" of the 14th Amendment was to grant citizenship to freed U.S. slaves, and that it was never meant to apply to the children of foreigners. A Phoenix New Times writer, however, argues that lawmakers who originally passed the amendment took into account the cases of children of Chinese immigrants in California as well as children of gypsies when drafting the measure. A 19th-century Supreme Court precedent also backs that interpretation, though no Supreme Court case has yet dealt with the issue of offspring of illegal immigrant parents.
[Related: Congress passes rare bills for Japanese immigrants]
The amendment states: "All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside."
Ali Noorani of the immigrant-rights group the National Immigration Forum told The Lookout that he believes leaders in more states will try to counter the thrust of the birthright initiative by adopting resolutions that eschew state laws cracking down on illegal immigration. Religious and political leaders in Utah recently signed a compact advocating for a "humane" approach to immigration, which other states could copy.
(A 3-year-old Texan grips his father, an illegal immigrant, in San Juan: AP)
Comment Below
No comments:
Post a Comment