Posted on 01/30/2006 11:29:58 AM PST by Seadog Bytes
| 1/30/2006 9:13:00 AM |
| Birth rules degrade U.S. immigration Guest Opinion by Rep. Tom Tancredo After years of lip service and outright neglect, immigration reform is finally front and center on Washington’s agenda. The issue has such resonance it seems every congressman has introduced a bill on the subject. At least in the House, a consensus is emerging to secure our borders, increase worksite enforcement and, now, revoke birthright citizenship. Currently, the U.S. grants citizenship automatically to every person born in our country, except children of foreign diplomats. That includes legal permanent residents, temporary visitors, nonimmigrants and illegal aliens. Obviously this creates a tremendous incentive to rush into the country to birth children. We’ve seen the millions who risk their lives and spend their savings for the chance to work in this country, let alone gain citizenship. And for those in line for American citizenship, the wait can be as long as 18 years. Once an alien crosses our borders and gives birth to a child, her entire family gets to cut in line. This is because our immigration laws give an automatic path to citizenship to family members of citizens. Having a so-called anchor baby in the U.S. gives foreign families a direct shot at citizenship they would not otherwise have. But the United States is not just a geographical entity, and American citizenship was never meant to simply be a marker of one’s location of birth. We are a nation of ideas as well as land – we have a proud history, common standards and shared values of individuality and freedom. The Left’s obsession with multiculturalism has done enough to crack America’s melting pot. Children are taught that our country and our values are no better than others. New immigrants are discouraged from assimilating; they’re told to keep their linguistic, cultural and political ties to the countries from which they came. We have gone a long way toward emptying American citizenship of any meaning. There is much the federal government should do to restore the meaning of citizenship, and the solution should include our elementary schools and citizenship classes. But one important step in the right direction is to revoke nonsensical birthright citizenship. Contrary to some legal pundits, the 14th Amendment does not mandate automatic citizenship for persons born on U.S. soil. The Constitution’s operative language is, “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the Unites States… .” The 14th Amendment’s first requirement for citizenship, being born or naturalized in the U.S., is straightforward. To determine what “subject to the jurisdiction thereof” means, we need only turn to the amendment’s architects, Senators Lyman Trumbell and Jacob Howard. In passing the 14th Amendment, Trumbell argued the jurisdiction of the United States was meant to cover only people who did “not ow[e] allegiance to anybody else.” Howard was even clearer, noting the amendment “will not, of course, include persons born in the United States who are foreigners, aliens, who belong to the families of ambassadors or foreign ministers… .” Being subject to the jurisdiction of the United States does not mean merely being within its borders, as Trumbell and Howard note. To construe jurisdiction in that manner would make the word redundant – the authors of the amendment could have written only “born or naturalized in the United States” and affected the same outcome. Jurisdiction in the 14th Amendment means a person owes something to the state; he is fully under the state’s authority. An illegal alien does not ordinarily pay taxes. He cannot be called to defend the U.S. in case of war. His very presence in the country is a denial of its jurisdiction and a refusal to be subject to its laws. By some estimates, there are more than 350,000 births in the U.S. each year to illegal aliens and in some places such as Los Angeles County, babies born to non-citizens make up a majority of all live births. As each of those families cuts in line, they further degrade the legitimacy of our immigration system. Lawbreakers should not be rewarded, and we should not continue the destructive policy of birthright citizenship. Congressman Tom Tancredo is chairman of the 91-member House Immigration Reform Caucus. He represents the Sixth District of Colorado. |
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ping
My view:
If you are in this country as a legal immigrant (with a visa) then your children born here are citizens. If you're on vacation with just a passport, or illegally here, too bad, so sad, bye bye.
(Please FReepmail if you want on, or off, this list. I certainly have no desire to increase anyone’s stress-level. Thanks!!!)
how about we just change it to be birt citizenship when LEGALLY present. As a matter of public safety and policy to discourage illegal entry then only legal entrants may claim citizenship.
In addition illegals who seek to say because of a hardship reason, can not become citizens for 10 years instead of the present five.
Sounds good but talk is cheap. Time for some action.
BTTT
Put up or shut up. Good article see if he does anything.
Protect our borders and coastlines from all foreign invaders!
Support our Minutemen Patriots!
Be Ever Vigilant ~ Bump!
Major props to Tom Tancredo one of the few honorable men in Congress. Go Tom go!
I'm assuming there would be an exception for orphans. Can't go throwing babies out of the country if there isn't someone to catch them on their way out.
I could go for that.
President Tancredo in 2008!
That ought to get Reps. off their butts...
Peanut Gallery to arrive.
One of the few politicians I would actually vote for, given the chance. Bush and Co. have turned me away from trusting ANY politician of any party. Speaking of which, gotta go fill out my 14th response to the RNC request for money - they don't seem to get the hint!
From the article...
"Obviously this creates a tremendous incentive to (ILLEGALLY) rush into the country (JUST) to birth children. We’ve seen the millions who risk their lives ( and, at the same time, risk the lives of our Border Patrol personnel) and spend their savings for the chance to work in this country, let alone gain citizenship...."
"...By some estimates, there are more than 350,000 births in the U.S. each year to illegal aliens and in some places such as Los Angeles County, babies born to non-citizens make up a majority of all live births. As each of those families cuts in line, they further degrade the legitimacy of our immigration system. Lawbreakers should not be rewarded, and we should not continue the destructive policy of birthright citizenship."
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