Arizona introduces law to target "birthright" citizenship of illegal immigrants

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Arizona introduces law to target "birthright" citizenship of illegal immigrants

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110128/us_nm/us_immigration_arizona

PHOENIX (Reuters) ? Arizona Republicans introduced legislation on Thursday seeking to challenge the right to U.S. citizenship for children born in the state whose parents are illegal immigrants or other non-citizens.

The move by state legislators came the same day the sheriff for Phoenix and surrounding areas sent a force of 200 deputies and citizen volunteers on an immigration sweep, an action the controversial lawman has undertaken periodically since 2008.

Republicans introduced bills in the Arizona legislature that aim to provoke a legal review of the 14th amendment to the Constitution, which anchors citizenship rights for the children of immigrants.

The 14th Amendment guarantees citizenship to "all persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof."

It was adopted in 1868 after the U.S. Civil War to ensure citizenship for former African-American slaves.

The aim is "to trigger ... a Supreme Court review of the phrase 'subject to the jurisdiction thereof' in the 14th amendment," said Rep. John Kavanagh, one on the backers of the legislation.

It ultimately seeks "to deny citizenship to any child born of parents who are not citizens of the United States, be they illegal aliens, or foreigners on business or for tourist purposes," he added..

Doesn't this go against the US constitution, I personally find this move appalling.
 
The law will be thrown out for violating the Constitution.
 
FOX won't react, I'm sure. Sure, it's unconstitutional, but then again, it's the good kind of unconstitutionality, as it's bigotted.
 
I have no strong opinions on this either way, but there is some logic to it. If you're in a country illegally or temporarily, it probably makes more sense for your citizenship to be that of your parents'.
 
I have no strong opinions on this either way, but there is some logic to it. If you're in a country illegally or temporarily, it probably makes more sense for your citizenship to be that of your parents'.

I understand both sides of that argument. But the problem is that this goes directly against the constitution. It's going to take more than a state law to change it. Anyone who's really against it should be going after an amendment.
 
the whole anchor babies argument doesn't make any sense.

they need to be 18 before they can submit themselves as a vouch for their parents application, then the process of applying itself takes a couple of years, someone would need to have a lot of patience to wait 20 odd years to become a citizen in that manor, all the while they are vulnerable for deportation. It becomes even more ludicrous when people put a terrorism slant on it.

it makes good headlines but it just doesn't make any sense when any thought is actually put into it.
 
Yes, there are an awful lot of islamists in Mexico. Almost as many as in Ireland.
 
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the whole anchor babies argument doesn't make any sense.

Finally someone else who sees it that way! I'd say it is one of the most retarded things I've heard the right say but this is the same side that said Obama is going to make death panels and that Sarah Palin has foriegn policy experience because she governed a state next to Russia.
 
If you're in a country illegally or temporarily, it probably makes more sense for your citizenship to be that of your parents'.

Isn't the point of ius soli the exact opposite?




Also, illegal immigrants are subject to the US jurisdiction. After all, what makes them an illegal immigrant? US jurisdiction. If they were not subject to it, they would not be illegal.
For example foreign diplomats' children are not US citizens after the 14th because of this exemption.
 
This is rediculous, first the immigration law and now this, Arizona polititians are just crazy.
 
This is rediculous, first the immigration law and now this, Arizona polititians are just crazy.
They are not crazy, they just don't want their state flooded with illegals. The immigration law makes perfect sense to me :dunno:

This latest move is definitely unconstitutional, no doubt about it. However, I do see where they are coming from. There is a huge difference between my parents' friends, for example, who came here on a work visa and had a kid about 10 years after moving here (they ended up being naturalized eventually) and someone who comes across the border illegally and gives birth a week later. Big, big difference. I don't think that the founding fathers ever envisioned this scenario so you could call this a loophole in the constitution.

I'm not sure how I feel about it, to be honest...
 
The founding fathers didn't envision street lights or proper police departments. Or a world where the imperial powers weren't able or willing to invade the new states, furthermore, they didn't envision a time when the populous couldn't buy state of the art weaponry at their local gunsmith.

So they wrote the second. There is a lot of things they couldn't imagine. However, if you're born in the US, it makes sense that you're a US citizen.
 
I too would have thought this is a tad' "Un-American" if you'll pardon the term. I mean the whole country was founded on immigrants from all over the world, that's what makes the US one of the most historically diverse places in the world...
This is true but wouldn't you want to be able to control who gets into your country? Deceases/illnesses, criminals, drug/weapon traffickers...
 
This is true but wouldn't you want to be able to control who gets into your country? Deceases/illnesses, criminals, drug/weapon traffickers...
A newborn baby is none of those things. I could see this being disputed if immigrating to give birth was an issue, but I have seen nothing that indicates it to be (remember this topic is about birthright not the Arizona immigration laws).
 
It's not a problem. It's like flag burning, it's one of those issues that look very good on paper and rallies the shock troops of the radical right, I guess it's too some degree a reaction to what is percieved as a liberal swing in US politics.
 
The aim is "to trigger ... a Supreme Court review of the phrase 'subject to the jurisdiction thereof' in the 14th amendment," said Rep. John Kavanagh, one on the backers of the legislation.

That part makes sense to me. The whole "America was born from immigration" thing is great and all, but there are still limitations. This is just one of those things people want to address now. I haven't heard anyone make a serious fuss about it, to be honest. There was lots of joking about "anchor babies", but nothing malicious. Apparently though, some people think it's a subject that needs to be raised.

Just keep in mind, we have to live with the problem. It's very easy to sit a million miles away from the problem and cast judgment. I sometimes think if people spent as much time trying to solve problems as they do accusing us of being racist, we would all be living in a perfect utopia by now.
 
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This is true but wouldn't you want to be able to control who gets into your country? Deceases/illnesses, criminals, drug/weapon traffickers...

Well yes, but that's an issue for tighter border security etc.
A child has no control over where it is born. If we imagined the UK were several independent countries for example:

I am English, born in England to English parents, makes sense.
My youngest sister however was born, and has lived her whole life in Scotland, would this make her English (as her parents are from England) or Scottish (as she was born and raised there)?

Its all a bit hard to see where the 'line in the sand' is drawn so to speak. I get the idea behind it but can't see it being affective to be honest...
 
They are not crazy, they just don't want their state flooded with illegals. The immigration law makes perfect sense to me :dunno:

Illegals already are illegal. Moar laws won't make them more illegal or disappear.
 
But, but they are illegal and that makes them bad./end sarcasm


What most Americans forget is that they come from a long line of illegal immigrants and they are the ones yelling the loudest.
 
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