In the midst of a huge debate regarding our nations immigration laws, the 14th Amendment is now coming into question and is being widely opposed throughout the Republican party. Republican senators say they intend to call hearings on overturning the 14th amendment to the constitution, which grants citizenship to anyone born in the US. Leading Republicans have denounced the provision as outdated, saying it encourages “invasion by birth canal” in which illegal immigrants smuggle themselves into the US to have “anchor babies”.
The change is being pushed by Republicans John Kyl, and senator Lindsey Graham, who said that “birthright citizenship is a mistake”. The real debate is over the Citizenship Clause to the 14th Amendment, which was adopted in 1868 during the Reconstruction era. The clause was intended to reverse the 1857 Supreme Court decision in the Dred Scott case that denied citizenship to African-Americans. That is one of the main arguments for the Republicans, stating that the law was intended solely for African Americans who were born here after slavery.
The actual section of the constitution that addresses this issue states:
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.
This clearly shows that there was no intention to include race, religion, or any other possible prejudice and upholds the American spirit of equality. So why end that now?
Advocates of tighter restrictions, such as the Federation for American Immigration Reform , estimate that more than 425,000 children are born to illegal aliens in the US each year. They also state that this law “reward” immigrants for illegal activity. Democrats say the calls are merely election-year politics that shamefully target children and a change would introduce a dangerous precedent of tying citizenship to political beliefs. As of now The legislation has 93 co-sponsors.
( The Guardian)
( The Hill)