The author is a legal illiterate.
“anchor babies” as understord by the popular culture were extinguished in 1996 with the immigration reform law.
I used to be the parents followed the citizens child. NOW THE LAW is different. The child citezen follows the parents who are being deported.
Birthright citizenship is legally different from anchor babies.
Also for those, like this clueless author, who don’t know the child citizen has to ACUTALLY LIVE IN THE USA FOR TEN YEARS UPON for THEIR offspring to automatically become US citizens.
this is all at the http://www.uscis.gov website (formerly INS)
What the author SHOULD be addressing is the effort to pass the DREAM act which will turn ALL students, regardless of legal status or citizenship, into anchor babies up to the age of 30. (!)
If you REALLY want a lesson. Greece had TWO illegal alien amnesty programs. Their ecconomy is in the toilet today. (and sombody keeps flushing)
so remember: Anchor Babies and Citizenship are DIFFERENT.
I think the reason many don't know the children need to live here 10 years to be citizens is because it is not being enforced that way. Anyone that can show proof they were born here is treated as a citizen- if asked of course they claim they lived here. Many citizen children cross the border every day to go to school that have never lived in the U.S.- they are still being considered citizens by our authorities. Many immigration and citizenship laws are not being followed when it comes to people from Mexico especially. The issues would not be so far out of hand if our laws had been followed in the past and being followed now. Non enforcement of our immigration laws is the biggest problem.