Posted on 08/07/2010 6:04:52 AM PDT by Oldeconomybuyer
Sen. Graham, speaking on Fox News last week, said it was a mistake to allow American-born children of illegal immigrants to become citizens automatically, a practice known as birthright citizenship. He said that along with a plan to grant legal status to millions of illegal immigrants, he would also amend the 14th Amendment as a way of discouraging future unauthorized immigration.
Throughout the week Mr. Graham stood firm on his proposal. We cant just have people swimming across the river having children here thats chaos, he said Wednesday in another interview with Fox News.
The proposal caught Republican and Democratic lawmakers by surprise.
Republicans were calling only for hearings on the issue. The debate centers on the first sentence of what is known as the citizenship clause: 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. The amendment was adopted in 1868 to ensure the citizenship of the American-born children of freed slaves.
Opponents of birthright citizenship contend that illegal immigrants are not under United States jurisdiction, therefore their American-born children should not automatically be citizens. They say the amendment could not apply to those immigrants because there was no illegal immigration when it was adopted.
If you are an illegal immigrant, we clearly have not given you permission to reside here, said Rosemary Jenks, director of government relations for NumbersUSA, a group that favors decreased immigration. You are still subject to the jurisdiction of your own country.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
as God is my witness, I'll never vote conservative again!!
It SHOULD be challenged but now isn’t the time. Take back the Senate FIRST, then challenge it. America’s compassion and generosity is being obscenely exploited. This has to stop. People are coming here for all the wrong reasons. An anchor baby gets them freebies and we all get stuck with the bill. Citizenship is not a RIGHT; it is a privilege and we should have the RIGHT to turn criminals and other undesirables AWAY.
Graham is right on this one (what’s the old saying about a broken clock...?).
“Anchor babies”, medical expenses paid for by the American taxpayer, were NEVER the purpose of the 14th amendment. Any claim otherwise is specious. They not only break our laws coming here, they bastardize others to their benefit.
Amend the law now!
It says born or naturalized. He should be for slamming the border SHUT! And deporting those who have snuck in.
Lidsey is an idiot..
Translation: Let's give amnesty to 20 million illegals, and then we'll try to stop more from coming in.
Nice Try, butt boy! (Sen. Graham)
lol as far as i am concerned he is an enemy
We should all thanks Miss Lindsey for getting the ball rolling. At least it is being discussed now. Missy L is wrong about needing a Constitutional Amendment to nullify the anchor baby scam
I’ll bet loads of liberals are also pissed now about automatic citizenship and anchor baby status for the children of those 3rd worlders who invade us. This is only happening because the economy stinks and people are angry. SB 1170 is there only because the economy is rotten and the invaders are turning to crime
After a week of tough duty, Lindsay reconsidered his position and has decided to flip and will, perhaps, flop at some future date.
I hate suggesting this, but amending the Constitution in some way might be the only way to permanently clear up this issue. Unfortunately, senators like Lindsey Graham who propose this approach do so because they know full well that many Senators and Representatives care more for foreigners than they do for Americans, and will never provide the 2/3 votes needed for such an amendment.
Show me any other country in the world that confers citizenship to offspring of illegals. This is insane. It appears (by conventional wisdom) that the only way we can keep the US Latin American voter happy is to keep policies that favor illegal immigration. If that’s true, then we’re toast.
SEALING OUR BORDERS / PURSUING / TRACKING / ARRESTING / DEPORTING - illegal aliens! and if they get caught TWICE - we send them to JAIL in GITMO or some OFF SHORE hell hole!
Lindsey IS an IDIOT and ...
"The Congress shall have power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article."
wanna bet that graham wants amnesty first then talk about the anchor baby problem, knowing that democrats will never support it!!!
Children of illegals were deported until the 1980’s as non-citizens . The 14th amendment did not apply as the children’s parents had no allegiance(subject to) the U.S. This is only a immigration policy not a constitutional right. ICE(INS) could end this policy at any time.
So, Grahmnesty, how much will it cost to get you to flip-flop on this?
He said that along with a plan to grant legal status to millions of illegal immigrants, he would also amend the 14th Amendment as a way of discouraging future unauthorized immigration.
Has Sen Graham ever read the laws on the books?
Does he know the difference between legal and illegal?
We don’t need any changes in the 14th. Arrest the bastards fine them and deport them. That should send a message to discourage future unauthorized immigration.
It needs to be challenged now and again and again. There are an estimated 400,000 anchor babies being born annually. They are entitled to food stamps, Medicaid, etc. Cutting off anchor babies will save us money and discourage illegal immigration and birth tourism. It should be linked to Obamacare, which will add 16 million to the Medicaid rolls. Stopping anchor babies goes beyond partisan politics.
We are not going to take back the Senate in 2010. That is a pipe dream. However, we should get every member of Congress on the record on where they stand vis-a-vis birthright citizenship. It is a winning issue for those who wish to stop it. There are only 33 countries in the world that still have jus solis. No country in Europe has it. The vast majority of countries that do have it are in the Western Hemisphere, a legacy of colonialism. Mexico and Canada have birthright citizenship.
Jus soli is observed in 16% of the world, the United States being the largest practitioner.
States that observe jus soli include:
Antigua and Barbuda[3]
Argentina[3]
Barbados[3]
Belize[3]
Bolivia[3]
Brazil[3]
Canada[3]
Chile[4] (children of transient foreigners or of foreign diplomats on assignment in Chile only upon request)
Colombia[3]
Dominica[3]
Dominican Republic[3]
Ecuador[3]
El Salvador[3]
Fiji[5]
Grenada[3]
Guatemala[3]
Guyana[3]
Honduras[3]
Jamaica[3]
Lesotho[6]
Malaysia[3]
Mexico[3]
Nicaragua[3]
Pakistan[3]
Panama[3]
Paraguay[3]
Peru[3]
Saint Christopher and Nevis[3]
Saint Lucia[3]
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines[3]
Trinidad and Tobago[3]
United States[3]
Uruguay[3]
Venezuela[3]
I'm generally aware of that, but my question was whether it applied to illegal offsring. BTW, I don't know that answer.
Following the intent of the Constitution should not be an exclusively “right wing” concern. Shame on the left for not caring about it.
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