Posted on 10/27/2010 11:38:03 AM PDT by Conservative Coulter Fan
The term “anchor baby” may be unfamiliar to most Americans but it succinctly describes a troubling aspect of American immigration.
An anchor baby is defined as an offspring of an illegal immigrant or other non-citizen, who under current legal interpretation becomes a United States citizen at birth. These children may instantly qualify for welfare and other state and local benefit programs. Additionally with the passage of the 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act, the child may sponsor other family members for entry into the United States when he or she reaches the age of twenty-one (See also Chain Migration). The sheer numbers are staggering. In Stockton, California (2003), 70 percent of the 2,300 babies, born in San Joaquin General Hospital’s maternity ward were anchor babies. 1
In Parkland Memorial Hospital Dallas, the second busiest maternity ward in the United States, 70% of the women giving birth were illegal aliens. That added up to 11,200 babies for which Medicaid kicked in 34.5 million dollars to deliver these babies, the feds another 9.5 million and Dallas taxpayers tossed in 31.3 million. The average illegal patient is 25 years and giving birth to her second anchor baby.
-Reiniers, John. Hernando Today, "Anchor Babies." January 25, 2008.
According to the Constitution's 14th Amendment, ratified in 1868 to ensure citizenship for the newly emancipated African Americans, "all persons, born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States." The phrase "subject to the jurisdiction thereof" was intended to exclude from automatic citizenship American-born persons whose allegiance to the United States was incomplete. For example, Native Americans were excluded from American citizenship because of their tribal jurisdiction. Also not subject to American jurisdiction were foreign visitors, ambassadors, consuls, and their babies born here. In the case of illegal aliens, their native country has a claim of allegiance on the child. Therefore, some Constitutional scholars argue that the completeness of the allegiance to the United States is impaired and logically precludes automatic citizenship. However, this issue has never been directly decided by the U.S. Supreme Court.
"Make no mistake, Americans are happy to welcome immigrants who follow our immigration laws and see a better lifer here. America is far more welcoming and tolerant of newcomers than any virtually any nation on earth. But our modern welfare state creates pervasive incentives for immigrants, incentives that cloud the issue of why people chose to come here. We cannot afford to open our pocketbooks to the rest of the world. We must end the pervasive incentives that encourage immigrants to come here illegally, including the anchor baby incentive.
-Representative Ron Paul, Texas Straight Talk October 02, 2006
The nation's school system faces the economic burden of providing services to the millions of children born to illegal immigrants. In a 2004 United States General Accounting Office report, three states submitted their annual cost estimates of educating illegal children. The estimates provided ranged from 50 million dollars to 87.5 million in Pennsylvania and 932 million to 1.04 billion dollars in Texas.1
FAIR estimates there are about 363,000 children born to illegal aliens each year. This figure is based on the crude birth rate of the total foreign-born population (33 births per 1000) and the size of the illegal alien population (13 million in 2008) adjusted downward to account for the estimate that females are a smaller share of the illegal alien population than the foreign-born population.2
Higher Taxes: The federal government has control over immigration law for the United States. By not correcting this mis-application of the 14th Amendment, the funds that state and local governments must provide to anchor babies amounts to a virtual tax on U.S. citizens to subsidize illegal aliens.
Disrespect for the rule of law: Congress, by failing to act on legislation aimed at correcting the interpretation of citizenship by birth, in effect rewards law-breakers and punishes those who have chosen to follow the rules and immigrate legally.
The original intent of the 14th Amendment was clearly not to facilitate illegal aliens defying U.S. law and obtaining citizenship for their offspring, nor obtaining benefits at taxpayer expense. The United States is unusual in its offer to extend citizenship to anyone born on its soil. Other developed countries have changed their citizenship practice to eliminate the problems caused by the practice of birthright citizenship.1 The anchor baby problem has grown to such large proportions that the United States can no longer afford to ignore it. The logical first step for correcting the problem is for Congress to adopt legislation clarifying the meaning of the 14th amendment.
Endnotes:
Try going to Mexico and having a baby on the backs of the taxpayers. Then demand Mexican citizenship.
Then try getting free education, medical care, housing, food, electricity, ad nauseum, while you work illegally in Mexico.
Think it'll work ?
There are millions of illegal parasites sucking the lifeblood out of our economy. They consume vastly more in tax dollars than they ever produce in taxes paid, drive unlicensed and without insurance, and scoot off to Mexico if they commit a crime.
Meanwhile driving NEW cars you can't afford. How do they afford it ? Well, you're paying for their every necessity of life, so they have lots of disposable income.
DEPORT ALL ILLEGALS AND THEIR ANCHOR BABIES NOW !!
“The phrase ‘subject to the jurisdiction thereof’ was intended to exclude from automatic citizenship American-born persons whose allegiance to the United States was incomplete”
That’s a glib way to put it, loaded with language uncoincidentally tied to current concerns.
“The phrase ‘subject to the jurisdiction thereof’ was intended to exclude from automatic citizenship American-born persons whose allegiance to the United States was incomplete”
Hey, i just realized, if that was the precise intent, does that mean the 14th amendment doesn’t apply to the children of legal aliens, either (since their parents aren’t citizens)? Or children of recently naturalized parents who haven’t been successfully assimilated? Or children who are destined to identify with grandparents who have strong ties to the Mother Country?
You can go mad putting far-flung intent before plain language.
“In the case of illegal aliens, their native country has a claim of allegiance on the child.”
I hasten to add that this is equally the case with LEGAL aliens.
Newly naturalized citizens take an oath to the USA and to forsake all other allegiances. I'll accept their word until they prove otherwise.
Legal residents (non-citizens) have rights and reponsibilities:
Your Rights As A Permanent Resident
As a permanent resident (green card holder), you have the right to:
Live permanently in the United States provided you do not commit any actions that would make you removable under immigration law
Work in the United States at any legal work of your qualification and choosing. (Please note that some jobs will be limited to U.S. citizens for security reasons)
Be protected by all laws of the United States, your state of residence and local jurisdictions
Your Responsibilities as a Permanent Resident
As a permanent resident, you are:
Required to obey all laws of the United States the states, and localities
Required to file your income tax returns and report your income to the U.S. Internal Revenue Service and state taxing authorities (see IRS link to the right)
Expected to support the democratic form of government and not to change the government through illegal means
Required, if you are a male age 18 through 25, to register with the Selective Service
Above from USCIS website
So yes, newly naturalized citizens' children ARE and should be US citizens, Permanent Residents' children are, currently, and should not be. When they choose to become citizens, hopefully, their children should automatically be granted citizenship. Or their children should be eligible to apply themselves when they're of age.
Illegal aliens and their spawn should be granted immediate deportation - do not pass Go, do not collect yet another $200.
The “hopefully” in the next to the last paragraph above means I HOPE they choose to become citizens. America needs the kind of people who want to come here, join us, and become Americans.
We don’t need those who come here “yearning to eat free”.
“And you seem to be going mad trying to defend the right of illegal parasites to pick our pockets”
If it’s mad to recognize the 14th amendment’s plain language, and join not just conventional wisdom but the overwhelmng majority opinion of “current legal interpretation” (as the article puts it), then call me mad.
“Newly naturalized citizens take an oath to the USA and to forsake all other allegiances. I’ll accept their word until they prove otherwise.”
Which they are forced to do because they were not born with the right to claim citizenship, as were anchor babies and myself. In the case of naturalization, it’s a privilege.
“Permanent Residents’ children are, currently, and should not be.”
Why?
Ping!
The “why” should be obvious: A permanent resident has NOT shaken off allegiance to his/her country of origin. Until that happens (with the oath of citizenship), their offspring should not be automatic citizens (unless the husband/wife - note legal marital relationship - is a citizen, then I’d consider it - and I’m MARRIED to a foreign national green card holder. Been through a lot of this stuff!)
In Anglo-Saxon jurisprudence, a crime, or illegal act, cannot be rewarded. "Anchor Baby Citizens," have no true basis in law. Automatic citizenship for the children of illegals is merely a generous, if stupid, American practice which ought to be ended immediately, and of course, could be.
I have read arguments on this site claiming that "Anchor Babies" are Natural Born Citizens! In fact, they are citizens of their parents' country, and were the law to be scrupulously followed, subject to deportation, with their parents.
As we descend into demographic madness, that doesn't look like it's going to happen.
It's not. But that's not what you're doing, no matter how much you'd like to believe it. Have you read the contemporary writings of the senators who passed it ? It was entirely about protecting the newly freed slaves who were here, or even born here. It was not about extending citizenship to the spawn of border jumpers who come here for one purpose - to pick our pockets.
Which they are forced to do because they were not born with the right to claim citizenship, as were anchor babies and myself. In the case of naturalization, it’s a privilege.
If they'll LIE to get citizenship, they probably have many other undesirable characteristics. They're not the kind needed here. Catch them lying, catch them milking welfare - revoke their citizenships and deport their asses pronto.
We need honorable people, not liars. We get enough of those with the illegal scum.
Why shouldn't permanent residents children be citizens ? Because a permanent resident has regularized their position here AS A RESIDENT. They have not committed themselves to citizenship, nor given up allegiance to their home countries. They haven't asked to, or been asked to.
Their children should have the same status that they do: permanent resident or citizen.
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