This week Sen. David Vitter (R-LA) wrote an op-ed in The Hill supporting the idea of ending birthright citizenship for the children born in the U.S. to illegal aliens. Sen. Vitter has introduced legislation to end this practice in each Congress since 2011. In 2015 he introduced bill S. 45 Birthright Citizenship Act of 2015 as an amendment to the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act.
"Every 93 seconds a beautiful baby is born in the United States . . . to illegal immigrant parents," writes Senator Vitter. "We simply cannot continue to ignore this. 400,000 cases every year isn't a trivial distraction. It's a real part of our illegal immigration problem."
In his article Vitter calls birthright citizenship, a "magnet" for illegal aliens to cross the U.S. border. He also mentions the growing birth tourism industry, where some families have paid up to $80,000 to have their babies born on U.S. soil. Although, NumbersUSA President, Roy Beck, argued that birthright citizenship is less of a magnet, and the big problem is that the babies who are born to illegal aliens (who already are settled in the U.S.) become anchors who keep their illegally present parents from leaving the U.S. and going back home.
You can read Roy Beck's full article on Birthright Citizenship here:
https://www.numbersusa.com/blog/4-ways-most-media-getting-birthright-citizenship-wrong-no-1-anchors-not-enticements
He takes on the 14th Amendment debate, providing legal support showing that this amendment has been misinterpreted and does not provide illegal aliens the right to birthright citizenship. He makes the argument that even American Indians did not receive U.S. citizenship till 1924, after the Indian Citizenship Act was passed.
"Isn't it time for us to make significant, real reforms to our immigration laws so that America -- the world's melting pot -- can welcome immigrants in a legal, organized, and safe way," asks Vitter.
Read Sen. Vitter's full op-ed here:
