Posted on 02/15/2010 9:38:26 AM PST by NormsRevenge
Republican lawmakers in Congress are sponsoring a bill that seeks to abolish birthright citizenship for children born in the United States to illegal immigrant parents.
Federal law automatically grants citizenship to any person born on American soil, regardless of the immigration status of the child's parents.
Supporters of the bill say that many people come to this country for the express purpose of having children who are American citizens, making the family eligible for welfare and other government benefits.
"You have many people coming to this country illegally," said Rep. Gary Miller, R-Brea, a co-sponsor of the legislation. "They come to this country and have babies. The children are citizens. The children are eligible to go to school. They receive food stamps and social programs. The American taxpayers are paying for it."
The bill does not seek to change the Constitution, which grants birthright citizenship under the 14th Amendment ratified in 1868.
Instead, it would amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to clarify the interpretation of the 14th Amendment.
The measure would limit birthright citizenship to children born to at least one parent who is either a citizen, lawful permanent resident or actively serving in the U.S. military. The legislation would only apply prospectively and would not affect the citizenship status of people born before the bill's enactment.
If the bill passes, people on both sides of the issue say it is likely to be challenged on constitutional grounds.
"This bill is unconstitutional," said Rep. Joe Baca, D-San Bernardino. "It would change one of the most basic principles that our nation was founded on: If you were born in the United States, you're an American."
Baca accused the bill's sponsors of playing election-year politics.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailybulletin.com ...
This ran yesterday, not much in the news about this effort.
Good. I am tired of paying insnane taxes to pay for endless freebies for illegals and Haitian immigrants. This BS.
Yeah. They do. They're set financially for life. Cubans call it "The gift."
This is a bill that needs to be supported. The U.S. tax payers are being used as slaves (for the entire world). Enough already!
Is this bill for real, or is this some sort of attempt to energize the Latino vote against the GOP by the Rats? They know that their base is apathetic now.
American citizens are not required to have visas to come to or be in the United States.
Seems to me the law already assumed for more than a century that children born to foreigners in this country were not citizens.
What's been lacking is ENFORCEMENT by State Department.
‘Bout time!!!
“Every Person born within the limits of the United States, and subject to their jurisdiction, is by virtue of natural law and national law a citizen of the United States. This 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 accredited to the Government of the United States, but will include every other class of persons.”
Senator Jacob Howard,
co-author of the citizenship clause of the 14th Amendment, 1866.
You lie! Plenty of people born here to non-citizen diplomats and ambassabors are not citizens.
They need to challenge the real meaning of the 14th Ammendment. It’s my understanding that it was enacted to give the children of slaves citizenship......not all immigrants.
Hunter proposed that legislation 20 years ago.
Bang!
ping
Bouvine feces! That's just the way the law has been applied. There are tow specific exceptions:
I'm also told that children born to parents here on valid visas do not get automatic birthright citizenship unless their parents are permanent residents. In fact, the parents are told to add such children to their passports to ensure there is no confusion in the matter.
So why should children born to illegal aliens get superior treatment to those born to legitimate guests of this country? This is a law which needs to be clarified to rectify the situation, not a new law which needs to be written from scratch.
About friggin time.
“Republican lawmakers in Congress are sponsoring a bill that seeks to abolish birthright citizenship for children born in the United States to illegal immigrant parents.”
Followed hopefully by denying non-citizens welfare bennies.
Let’s hear what McCain and JD have to say about this
The country was founded on a mis-reading of the 14th Amendment?
“...there is a very good legal basis to exclude Mexicans under category #2...”
.
If the law is passed, can it be applied retroactively? That would really be a step in the right direction.
“Hunter proposed that legislation 20 years ago.”
Indeed. One of the monumental failures in our government was not listening to Duncan Hunter.
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