The Hysteria Over Birthright Citizenship
I have not quite decided whether the fight to end birthright citizenship is worth the ensuing hysteria, since no one discusses in detail the circumstances. Are we talking exclusively about children of illegal aliens or also of legal residents?
Last week writing in defense of birthright citizenship in the Wall Street Journal, Linda Chavez argued:
Repealing birthright citizenship is a terrible idea. It will unquestionably jeopardize the electoral future of the GOP by alienating Hispanics—the largest minority and fastest-growing segment of the U.S. population. More importantly, ending birthright citizenship would fundamentally change what it means to be an American.
The problem with Linda Chavez's argument is that she assumes bad faith on the part of the reformers, whereas in a great many cases the bad faith is on the part of the illegal alien, who deliberately and knowingly breaks federal statutes to enter the U.S. to have children as a mechanism to subvert the law--then cites the sanctity of the law in extremis, but otherwise undermines it when it proves inconvenient.
If we simply closed the borders, the issue would not arise. Every hot-button issue connected with illegal immigration—guest workers, amnesty, anchor babies, remittances, assimilation—would fade as pressing issues were not one million trying to cross illegally each year. Stop that and this country gets a breather to work on the mechanics of the other issues.
Note the hysteria over the Arizona law: proponents of open borders, as well as Mexico, understand all too well what's at stake. Should the law be enforced and illegal immigration cease, then the entire Latino grievance industry would fade and evolve into something like the Cuban experience as assimilation and upward mobility took over. Mexico as well does not want that, entailing as it does a gradual loss of remittances, of a sympathetic expatriate community, of a social safety-valve, and of various trumped up grievances against the U.S.
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May '10
Re: The Hysteria Over Birthright Citizenship
How about: If Mom is in the country illegally or on a tourist visa, Junior isn't automatically a citizen. Is that so hard?
Edited on Aug 16, 2010 at 8:39pmMay '10
Re: The Hysteria Over Birthright Citizenship
Politically the only thing that makes sense is focusing on border control. That is a unifying issue and a clear one. Fighting about anything else is a destructive distraction.
Jul '10
Re: The Hysteria Over Birthright Citizenship
Linda Chavez ceased to be any kind of conservative when her nomination for Sec of Labor crashed due to her own hiring of illegal domestic help. She immediately re-branded herself as a civil rights leader.
She might be able to do the Lord's work if she was willing to speak plain truths to Hispanics, but she won't; she prefers to be the voice of the down-trodden.
What any annoying opportunist she is.
Jul '10
Re: The Hysteria Over Birthright Citizenship
Linda Chavez? Puh-lease....
Jun '10
Re: The Hysteria Over Birthright Citizenship
But if Linda Chavez represents the Hispanic mainstream in America, you have to listen to her. If Hispanics ever become as thoroughly and predictably Democrat as blacks are now, the era of Republican-led government is over. You don't have to win the Hispanic vote, but you do have to split it fairly evenly. Every year it gets more important.
Aug '10
Re: The Hysteria Over Birthright Citizenship
What about if we went back to the framework of immigration as it existed when the 14th Amendment was enacted? That would seem to push back the "and subject to the jurisdiction thereof" to it's original meaning.
I mention this because of my experience in my wife's country (Singapore) - they have the highest standard of living in Asia, permit anyone to enter (and obtain a work visa AFTER they arrive as a tourist) and yet do not suffer an immigration problem. This is in spite of the fact that they are surrounded by two poor countries (Malaysia and Indonesia).
Aug '10
Re: The Hysteria Over Birthright Citizenship
Neither a lawyer nor politician, I am biologist. In organisms, epithelial linings and cellular membranes form vital boundaries--borders if you will--that separate various compartments, tissues and substances that define our structure and bodily functions. These compartments are separated for good reasons. Erode the lining of your stomach and see how you feel. Erode it enough, and you bleed to death. You will have lost your living integrity. One day we will all achieve "equality" of the fluid compartments inside and out of our cells. That will be our last day. Cell membranes are not merely phospholipid baggies. Membranes are active. Electrical charge and substances are moved across membranes by bewildering complexes of molecular marvels. National borders should likewise be healthy, complex and vibrant realities that define nations whose individual identities are expressions of ethnic beauty, geographic & biotic uniqueness, cultural heritage, economic dynamism and free political choices. Nations should be laboratories of self-governance. National borders, analogous to the biological ones, should be regulated, "semi-permeable membranes" as freely crossed by goods, people and knowledge as is prudently possible in a world of nations striving for friendship, but realistically acknowledging that that hope is presently not realized.
Jun '10
Re: The Hysteria Over Birthright Citizenship
"Welfare has been treated like a dirty word in Singapore--and rightfully so" - PM Lee.
Perhaps you could tell us how an open border separating a rich country from two poor countries works in practice. Is it true that Singapore's welfare system is close to non-existent, i.e. without employment one is destitute (and likely to go home)?.
Aug '10
Re: The Hysteria Over Birthright Citizenship
Pilgrim,
Sort of. In Singapore, the welfare system (as we know it here) does not exist, true. However, there are extremely few barriers to employment and the cost of living is very low (imagine a place where can get healthy food straight off the dollar menu at McD's - the food is extremely cheap, but nutritious). So if people don't have a job, their work permit is not renewed and they have to leave. However, since there is no minimum wage or nanny tax laws, people from poorer countries become laborers (men) and maids or nannys (women). The relatively high standard of living lets one afford this rather handily.