U.S. Rep. Nathan Deal, a Republican candidate for governor of Georgia, has proposed changing the long-standing federal policy that automatically grants citizenship to any baby born on U.S. soil, a move opposed by immigrant rights advocates.
Supporters of Deal’s proposal say “birthright citizenship” encourages illegal immigration and makes enforcement of immigration laws more difficult. Opponents say the proposed law wouldn’t solve the illegal immigration problem and goes against this country’s traditions of welcoming immigrants.
“This is a sensible, overdue measure that closes a clause that was never meant to be a loophole,” said Bob Dane, spokesman for the Federation for American Immigration Reform, which seeks tighter immigration restrictions.
Under Deal’s proposal, babies born in the U.S. would automatically have citizenship only if at least one of their parents is a U.S. citizen or national, a legal permanent resident of the U.S., or actively serving in the U.S. military.
Childrenofdiplomate are not automatically given citizenship.
Your poll is kind of shitty.
The second option should be “No. I have tons of extra money to spend on illegal immigrants who cross the border just to have a baby that I will have to pay for the rest of my life.”
The fact that we don’t want anchor babies has nothing to do with being a land of opportunity. It’s about not wanting the process to break an overburdened and underfunded health-care system.
#31 Troublemaker:
“Americans always seem to forget that we stole this country away from the natives that originally lived here.”
Boo hoo.
My Roman ancestors conquered my British ancestors, but I really don’t care. America’s is recent history. Big deal. This is how it’s always been, and always will be.
# 16 Sea Lawyer said, in part:
“[…] The 14th Amendment was specifically aimed at granting citizenship to former slaves and to force the states to also recognize that citizenship; not to allow foreign nationals a means to circumvent U.S. immigration policy and law.”
Well, then they should have written it better. As it stands it is the supreme law of the land (Article V). To change it will require another amendment, which requires passage by a two thirds majority of both House (290) and Senate (67), and ratification by three fourths of the states (38). In short, this isn’t going to happen any time soon; this is a distraction, a wedge issue, designed solely to stir up dissension and rile up The Base. (And it’s working.)
– – – – –
The Fourteenth Amendment was sent to the states June 16, 1866. It was ratified July 9, 1868.
If I may quote from the amendment:
Section 1
All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.
Article 5 of U.S. Constitution you have to be a free white person to be a citizen! Also check out this song.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86QAHeJB1sc&feature=related
For both good and bad, this country is what it is because of immigration. Unless you are 100% native American (and likely really do hate immigrants for good reason), you are a product of immigration.
This once great nation was built by immigrants for immigrants.
Apparently, this white European asshole seems to have forgotten that little bit of history.
What scares the shit out of me is that the poll results currently show that about half of the induhviduals clicking away on their computers have forgotten as well.
<aside>
Oh, and for the 100% pure bred native Americans out there, please remember that you too are immigrants, albeit from 15,000 or so years ago. Death and destruction was also the result of your immigration when 83% of large North American mammals went extinct and 87% of large South American mammals went extinct.
So, no matter what race or creed, humans suck.
</aside>
They need to attack the cause of the problem and not the result.
Ramp up border control.
On a side note, Obama can be thanked for one benefit of his policies. The Obama economy is doing a great job in cutting down on the number of illegal 8-month pregos skulking across the border to use the free USA emergency rooms for their deliveries.
The attraction of sneaking into American cities with 10%+ unemployment is fading fast.
#37 voices a common misunderstanding: For both good and bad, this country is what it is because of immigration.
Immigration is not bad. All we ask is that the immigrants use the front door just like our ancestors did and stop jumping the line by illegally entering via the smugglers’ route.
I wonder what they did 700 years ago? I checked the voting results and it seems we have become very possessive about what is ours and not theirs. We could make those that are not citizens slaves.
#35, you are obviously a genius Patso, using up so much space to say what we are already perfectly clear about.
#38, heh, one of the first things he did was make it easier for unions to come in and take over a workplace. If he’s trying to reduce unemployment, he sure picks dumb ways to go about it.
I’ve lived in South Texas and it is very common that pregnant women from Mexico come across the border illegally to have their babies. This puts a huge strain on the border hospitals and the welfare system in these areas.
How many other countries in the world give you automatic citizenship just for being born there? Isn’t it usually your parents nationality that determines your citizenship in most countries?
Good idea. Most countries operate this way. Anchor babies away!
“Americans always seem to forget that we stole this country away from the natives that originally lived here.”
CORRECTION
I am so sick of hearing people bring that fantasy of “stole from Indians” into the discussion. We protected this country from complete hostile takeover from Nazi like forces that spring up like weeds all over the world. If “their land” hadn’t been divided up and “taken away” they would have been wiped out completely! Now regarding popping out Meximerican babies, MAKE IT ILLEGAL. It’s too late really as Mexicans stole back California, and middle America, and everywhere, but hey, it will make us feel a little better.
Patso, read it again.
‘subject to the jurisdiction thereof.’
#13, brm,
Once again you have shown you have yet to study history or even try verifying any facts.
For the first two decades of America’s existence, there was very little immigration due to the French Revolution, the Napoleonic Wars, and then the War of 1812. After 1820 immigration grew each year with mostly Irish immigrants, but also other Northern Europeans. By the 1850s annual immigration was in the hundreds of thousands.
This whole thing would probably be a non-issue if we actually enforced immigration laws and got rid of any judges that were blocking legit laws from being enforced.
#45 Indian springs,
“I am so sick of hearing people bring that fantasy of “stole from Indians” into the discussion.”
I for one would like to see you with the balls to go to an Native American reservation and tell that to them in their faces.
I love when whiners who cry about this stuff. There’s nothing wrong with allowing the child born in US borders from becoming a citizen. But that doesn’t mean the parents get to stay kick em out and take yer kid with ya. If he wants to come back fine, but mom and dad are out.
# 50 Breetai said, “But that doesn’t mean the parents get to stay kick em out and take yer kid with ya.”
There’s the rub. Judges block this type of thing. Thus, gov officials not following the law leads to this type of proposal.
#39 – jbenson2,
#37 voices a common misunderstanding: For both good and bad, this country is what it is because of immigration.
Immigration is not bad. All we ask is that the immigrants use the front door just like our ancestors did and stop jumping the line by illegally entering via the smugglers’ route.
My own ancestors did indeed follow the rules. However, a good friend of mine had a mother who was asked to join Daughters of the American Revolution and a paternal grandfather who jumped ship and swam ashore to live the rest of his life watching over his shoulder. Her grandfather worked his entire life. Her father became an engineer and teacher.
I think many of us whose ancestors came over long ago might find such characters in our past. Yes, even the illegal immigrants of years ago helped make this country what it is.
Oh, and the guy from Cuba who has twice modified vintage automobiles into seaworthy vessels and drove over from Cuba only to be turned away before reaching shore … I want him in this country. We need that kind of innovative mind.
# 41 Sea Lawyer said:
“#35, you are obviously a genius Patso,” [Why, thank you!] “using up so much space to say what we are already perfectly clear about.”
I didn’t believe many of the posters here (or in fact the honorable Representative Nathan Deal) understood just what was involved in changing this law. I give it a less than 6% chance of happening in the next decade.