What is your opinion of bitrh-right citizenship?

Question

No other wealthy, western nations grant automatic citizenship to those who simply happen to be born within their borders to non-citizens. These nations recognize that citizenship involves more than the physical location of one’s birth; it also involves some measure of cultural connection and allegiance. In most cases this means the parents must be citizens of a nation in order for their newborn children to receive automatic citizenship.

Americans welcome immigrants who follow our immigration laws and seek a better life here. America is far more welcoming and tolerant of newcomers than virtually any nation on earth. But our modern welfare state creates perverse incentives for immigrants, incentives that cloud the issue of why people choose to come here. The real problem is not immigration, but rather the welfare state magnet...


Do you think the USA should end birth -right citizenship ?
Or
Do you think it should remain as it is now and why

I'm asking about the illegal aliens that give birth here in the US.

Answer 1

The anchor baby fiasco must be stopped. It rewards illegal immigrants and encourages more illegal immigration. It costs law-abiding taxpayers a bundle. It makes it harder to control the border, reform immigration and rein in the runaway welfare state. it cheapens American citizenship and mocks those who play by the rules.

Answer 2

The whole concept of birthright citizenship is outdated. The 14th amendment to the constitution, which granted birthright citizenship was instituted in 1866 to: a) nullify the Dred Scott decision, which stated that no person of African descent whether slave or free could ever be a citizen of the U.S. and b) guarantee that individual states could not expel newly freed slaves and their offspring at will. Slavery was abolished 141 years ago. Most, if not all former slaves are now dead. This amendment should have been repealed 100 years ago. All immigrants since 1867 should have had to apply for citizenship and prove their allegiance to the United States of America. A woman should not be allowed to stay in the U.S. simply by birthing a child here. The child is a citizen of the parent's country.

Answer 3

I think its a good question to begin with. First of all this country is
very tolerant to immigrants which is what has made it this country good and powerful, since most people that have landed in these shores where strong, survivors and bold. Now this coming from a Hispanic and half the illegals being from Mexico, I don't see nothing wrong with someone coming to work and make a life better as my parents did when they where young, They too came as illegals when they where young and eventually became citizens, Then did they plan on having my siblings and myself. They had us once they knew they could support a family with all financial, moral, spiritual needs
Now i don't think its right for someone to come here and have a kid just to stay and benefit from a child s birth in that sense. I think you have to earn it like past generations of immigrants. so if a child is born here its their right to citizenship but the whole family must get deported with the child. when the child gets older he/she can decide if coming to live here is their best interest.

Answer 4

I believe that it should be totally STOPPED.

The reality is that few nations have such - the United States is in the minority on this.

As you point out in your further comments, because this is in place within the United States, there are many that end up being nothing more than a drain on society, another burden for taxpayers to bear.

Many of those having children here want nothing to do with becoming part of this country - other than to leach off of the many programs that are in place for those in need. They raise their children to have the same lack of respect for the country they were born in but with parents that never had the intent of letting go of their home country.

I even have found a site where people from Korea were coming over to have children so that later on when the child was older, they could not be drafted by that country - since they were an 'American citizen'.

To be a citizen means (or should mean) that one has roots within the country. That means much more than just where your mother happened to have you.

The 'anchor baby' mess has made citizens that have no intent upon being part of this country and very well is undermining the very foundation of what this country is suppose to stand for.

Congress needs to address the problem. The President needs to sign such a bill - or better yet, how about an Executive Order that states that such is to end. Either way, it is a very serious problem that needs to be address before the millions of women that come over to pop out their kids drains this country to the point that we are nothing but a third world nation.

Answer 5

Well I think it should remain the way it is. We shouldn't be like other countries that is why this land is the place to be. I do believe that if your parents aren't citizens you are not either.

Illegals want a better life for them self's but don't do it the right way which in the long run will catch up with them. The welfare state is the magnet because all illegals think of is give me give me. If we were more careful on who we give welfare to we wouldn't have to worry about the immigrant running our money. Also we could make sure their kids don't get in our school systems.

Answer 6

Many children of illegals who are born here grow up to become productive memebrs of society. Apparently, some of them even manage to join the military and serve with distinction. Should we punish those people, people who have never committed a crime in their lives? Put like that, it is a tough call, especially with the USA being so welcoming towards immigrants (myself included). It would be a big deal to change a long-standing principle.

However, the principle was in place long before FDR and the New Deal. The idea was that anyone could come to the USA and, by their own efforts, be more successful than in their own country. As a result, millions of immigrants have contributed to the building of this country. Unfortunately, far too many immigrants come to this country, do not pay taxes, enjoy welfare on account of their children, repatriate millions of US dollars each week and, consequently, contribute less than nothing to this country.

Illegal (and a few legal) immigrants have moved the goalposts. It is time to call the foul and amend the Constitution.

Answer 7

If by this you are meaning that children of illegal immigrants have no right to be citizens, I would say it can be a possibility. The problem is that when they grow up they feel part of this country, because everything they have done and experienced is in the United States, not their "home" country. Yeah, you may say it was the parents' fault for not thinking about that before sneaking in, but why should a child pay for his/her parents' mistakes? If they are not given the citizenship when they are born, at least they should get the chance to get it when they are 18 or older. It just doesn't seem fair to me that someone that may have contributed to this society and worked hard to succeed just be kicked out like a piece of trash. And it even makes it worse to be kicked out for something that wasn't his choice.

Answer 8

I beleive we should end birthright citizenship.
Atleast one parent should be a citizen.
I read a story where this woman went through hell to give birth to her child here. She wasn't wanting citizenship and didn't even stay here after her son was born. She simply wanted to give her child a way to get here legally if he wanted an education....etc. I can't complain about that one bit. It was simply a chance. When people ABUSED it....well...it changed it. As long as we have a loop-hole that people will abuse....we have to zip it up. The whole world is giving a big kudos to the Mexicans for screwing up chances for lots of other people who didn't want to screw America.
Feel good now?

Answer 9

Well if we didn't have birth-right citizenship, we ALL would have to become citizens. I think thats weird. If your born here, your a citizen. Shouldn't matter where your parents are from. Most people haven't been here for more than 3 or 4 generations anyway.

I guess the illegal immigrant thing is kinda crazy. We wouldn't have this problem if the government just threw them out. However, the children SHOULD be allowed to come back in the future. Its not their fault for being born.

Answer 10

I think we should end birth right citizenship for the same reason Ireland and Canada did. It is abused in a country that subsidizes education and services for its poor. People come to have families not because they want to join the American experiment, but to 'get stuff'.
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serviocal, the problem is that they too will have kids and growth of population is exponential from the existing base. Our schools are failing and we do need to address that.

Plus, if they have been here 18 years, they have been taking $7,000 to $10,000 per year in education costs, even if their families funded all other bills. Why should OUR people continue to be punished? There aren't that many seats in Universities when you look at the fact that the rest of the world gets in on diversity benefits.

If we change the law, perhaps fewer will come, and certainly there will be less incentive to have babies immediately. This is one reason cited (rightly or wrongly) for illegal immigrants brought as children dropping out of school to have babies, as well.