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Anchor Babies on Trial in Texas
Townh ^ | 09/01/2015 | Phyllis Schlafly

Posted on 09/01/2015 8:49:08 AM PDT by SeekAndFind

A federal case moving to trial in Texas could provide a means to stop the practice of extending automatic U.S. citizenship to children born to illegal aliens. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump recently called for legislation to end that unpopular practice, which polls show Americans oppose by more than 2 to 1, and even Jeb Bush admitted that it’s perfectly legitimate to call those children "anchor babies."

The Pew Research Center estimated that 340,000 children are born annually to citizens of Mexico and other foreign countries who are living illegally in the United States, and that doesn’t include children born to "birth tourists," primarily from Asian countries, which the Center for Immigration Studies estimates could be as high as 36,000. These children are called "anchor babies" because their presumed citizenship enables their parents to access a variety of benefit programs intended for U.S. citizens, and makes it so much easier for the entire family to continue living here illegally.

The Texas case is still in its pretrial stage, but an explosive document filed there last week by the government of Mexico adds fuel to the national debate that Trump touched off. The legal brief, which includes a sworn affidavit by Mexico’s consul general for Texas, Carlos Gonzalez Gutierrez, openly admits that Mexico’s official policy is to encourage its poor people to migrate here illegally in order to access our generous welfare system.

The brief begins by declaring that "Mexico is responsible to protect its nationals wherever they may be residing," and a footnote clarifies that under the Mexican Constitution, "Mexican nationality is granted to children born abroad of a Mexican born parent." In other words, anchor babies born in this country retain their parents’ nationality, which means their citizenship belongs there, not here.

Liberals claim that our own Constitution guarantees automatic U.S. citizenship to all children born on American soil, and it’s true that the Fourteenth Amendment begins with the words "All persons born or naturalized in the United States . . . are citizens of the United States." But behind those three little dots is an important qualification: "AND subject to the jurisdiction thereof."

What that forgotten phrase means is that when someone born here is "subject to the jurisdiction" of another nation, that child does not become a U.S. citizen unless the laws passed by Congress so provide (and they don’t). By filing its legal brief and submitting sworn testimony in the Texas case, Mexico is officially declaring that children born to its citizens living illegally in the United States remain "subject to the jurisdiction" of Mexico.

The Mexican consul, in his sworn testimony, says that "My responsibilities in this position include protecting the rights and promoting the interests of my fellow Mexican nationals" and "The main responsibility of consulates is to provide services, assistance, and protection to nationals abroad." Mexico’s assertion of continuing jurisdiction over its "nationals abroad" is inconsistent with any claim to automatic U.S. citizenship merely by reason of birth on U.S. soil.

The Texas case was filed on behalf of about two dozen mothers who admit they are citizens of Mexico living illegally in Texas. The women complain that without proper ID they cannot get birth certificates for their Texas-born children, and that without birth certificates they can’t enroll in Medicaid, food stamps, Section 8 housing, and other U.S. taxpayer-provided benefits.

Like other states, Texas issues a birth certificate to a close relative only upon presentation of a valid ID issued by a U.S. federal or state agency. These restrictions were adopted to combat the growing epidemic of identity theft, whose main cause is the widespread use of forged or fake documents by illegal aliens.

In order to assist its citizens living here illegally who cannot get the required ID, Mexican consulates issue an official-looking document called the matricula consular which includes a laminated photo. Of course, Texas rightly refuses to accept such foreign identity documents which it has no way to verify.

The basic allegation of the lawsuit is that by refusing to accept the matricula consular as proper ID for obtaining a birth certificate, Texas is somehow violating the Fourteenth Amendment by depriving anchor babies of U.S. citizenship. On the contrary, their reliance on a foreign identity document proves they are "subject to the jurisdiction" of a foreign power and thus not eligible for automatic U.S. citizenship.

The Texas lawsuit was concocted by a group called the South Texas Civil Rights Project, which was founded in 1972 as a spin-off of the ACLU. It was assisted by another leftwing legal outfit, Texas RioGrande Legal Aid, whose largest supporter, the Legal Services Corporation, collected $375 million of U.S. taxpayer funds in the current fiscal year.


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; News/Current Events; US: Texas
KEYWORDS: anchorbabies; birthright; illegals; immigration; texas

1 posted on 09/01/2015 8:49:08 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
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To: SeekAndFind
The Pew Research Center estimated that 340,000 children are born annually to citizens of Mexico and other foreign countries who are living illegally in the United States, and that doesn’t include children born to "birth tourists," primarily from Asian countries, which the Center for Immigration Studies estimates could be as high as 36,000.

The people we elect do NOT protect American citizens... not for a minute... We've been played for chumps.

2 posted on 09/01/2015 8:51:21 AM PDT by GOPJ (Immigration, World Poverty and Gumballs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPjzfGChGlE)
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To: SeekAndFind; Liz; AuntB; La Lydia; sickoflibs; stephenjohnbanker; Tolerance Sucks Rocks; ...

Anchor babies away !!!


3 posted on 09/01/2015 8:56:07 AM PDT by Tennessee Nana
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To: SeekAndFind

The feds won’t stop it, hell, their in collusion with the mexican government to keep the border wide open.

No BC’s for illegals kids, and arrest and deport the mother and kid as soon as they are able to leave the hospital.

We owe mexico NOTHING!

And if the feds want to get pissy about it, arrest all of their INS/ICE agents and charge them with human trafficking, along with aiding and abetting known fugitives.


4 posted on 09/01/2015 8:58:16 AM PDT by factoryrat (We are the producers, the creators. Grow it, mine it, build it.)
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To: SeekAndFind

Mexican papers = Mexican citizen.
Admission of Mexican Nationality and only dropping baby on US side for benefits = Mexican Baby.
Go home or die of hunger in the cold and the dark.


5 posted on 09/01/2015 8:58:47 AM PDT by 5th MEB (Progressives in the open; --- FIRE FOR EFFECT!!)
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To: SeekAndFind

In order to assist its citizens living here illegally who cannot get the required ID, Mexican consulates issue an official-looking document called the matricula consular which includes a laminated photo. Of course, Texas rightly refuses to accept such foreign identity documents which it has no way to verify.
___________________________________________

Even Mexico wont give their own people a passport without valid ID...

Just a loose document that doesn’t have any standing...

so why should we give out birth certificates ???


6 posted on 09/01/2015 9:01:27 AM PDT by Tennessee Nana
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To: GOPJ

I’ve noticed the only time I’ve heard Boner speak out was when he condemned obama (no caps on purpose)for renaming Mt. McKinley, didn’t hear anything from him on the Planned Parenthood videos killing babies, or the Iran deal, or the “black lives matter crowd, or the police killings


7 posted on 09/01/2015 9:01:56 AM PDT by notaliberal (St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle,)
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To: SeekAndFind

End welfare in ALL its forms and the illegal ‘immigrant’ (*spit*) problem dispersers.

I guess there’s ONE ‘good thing’ to come from OCare....Hospitals can now turn away anyone w/out insurance (since we ALL ‘must have’), right? /s

Turn -12 to service based, like colleges...you wanna use, YOU *pay* (remove the property taxes too).

It’s a win-win-win for property owner, parent and taxpayer!!


8 posted on 09/01/2015 9:07:46 AM PDT by i_robot73 ("A man chooses. A slave obeys." - Andrew Ryan)
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To: Tennessee Nana

I like that one, sounds like a great book title.


9 posted on 09/01/2015 9:38:09 AM PDT by PoloSec ( Believe the Gospel: how that Christ died for our sins, was buried and rose again)
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To: SeekAndFind
The brief begins by declaring that "Mexico is responsible to protect its nationals wherever they may be residing," and a footnote clarifies that under the Mexican Constitution, "Mexican nationality is granted to children born abroad of a Mexican born parent." In other words, anchor babies born in this country retain their parents’ nationality, which means their citizenship belongs there, not here.

Or to put it another way, the brief proves that they are not "under the jurisdiction thereof."

10 posted on 09/01/2015 10:08:39 AM PDT by TBP (Obama lies, Granny dies.)
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To: notaliberal

Well, McKinley was a fellow Ohioan.


11 posted on 09/01/2015 10:10:13 AM PDT by TBP (Obama lies, Granny dies.)
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To: Tennessee Nana

Donald Trump tells Americans oil-rich Mexcio is ripping us off royally...they are pocketing billions from deal after deal.

And here’s one reason why.

They send their lowlifes here to get on the gravy train. The cunning Mexican federales failed to say $22 BILLION annually of US welfare to these illegal parasites GOES BACK to Mexico.

The federales are getting a huge cut of that.


12 posted on 09/01/2015 10:14:19 AM PDT by Liz
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To: SeekAndFind
that child does not become a U.S. citizen unless the laws passed by Congress so provide (and they don’t).


I have already settled this.
They are citizens you moron.

13 posted on 09/01/2015 1:13:42 PM PDT by itsahoot (55 years a republican-Now Independent. Will write in Sarah Palin, no matter who runs. RIH-GOP)
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