An End of 'Birthright Citizenship'?

[Tarheel]

Senator Lindsey Grah-amnesty shocked the hell out of me by announcing on Fox News that he was seriously considering a Constitutional Amendment to change the existing 14th Amendment specifically the automatic citizenship birthright.  If this is true he's certainly had a revelation or a conversion.  I'm sure that Sen. Juan 'Build the Dang Fence' McCain will talk him out of this 'misguided' idea that will surely upset the illegal alien voters they all covet.

This is an excerpt from The Politico, all emphasis is my own:

Graham eyes 'birthright citizenship'
By: Andy Barr
July 29, 2010 08:19 AM EDT

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) announced Wednesday night that he is considering introducing a constitutional amendment that would change existing law to no longer grant citizenship to the children of immigrants born in the United States.

Currently, the 14th Amendment grants citizenship to any child born in the United States.

But with 12 million illegal immigrants living in the U.S., Graham said it may be time to restrict the ability of immigrants to have children who become citizens just because they are born in the country.

“I may introduce a constitutional amendment that changes the rules if you have a child here,” Graham said during an interview with Fox News’ Greta Van Susteren. “Birthright citizenship I think is a mistake ...  We should change our Constitution and say if you come here illegally and you have a child, that child's automatically not a citizen.”
...
“People come here to have babies,” he said. “They come here to drop a child. It's called "drop and leave." To have a child in America, they cross the border, they go to the emergency room, have a child, and that child's automatically an American citizen. That shouldn't be the case. That attracts people here for all the wrong reasons.”
...
“I'm a practical guy, but when you go forward, I don't want 20 million more 20 years from now,” he said.
...

Source:
http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=1E24CD91-18FE-70B2-A84F1B3B9893D705

[Tiger Wench]

To me, you eliminate the "This is not fair" argument by allowing a child with at least one parent that is a legal US citizen to become a citizen.  That is how most all other countries do it.  I know a couple who are American and Brit and their kids hold dual passports. 

The time for this has come.  This alone would eliminate a HUGE chunk of the problem with illegal immigration.  The free hospital care, the welfare payments to an illegal to care for a citizen child, the anchor baby issues, the "deport momma but the kid stays" bleeding heart stories... all of that.

Cannot believe the RINO did this, but right now, i could care less who does it, as long as someone does...

[GH2001]

There was a place and purpose for the Birthright Citizenship but that purpose has passed and it has outlived its usefulness much like unions. This is a great move. With it being Graham there has to be more to this. Someone is either pressuring him (a think tank or his constituency) or he is senile.

[CCTAU]

Quoting a newspaper columnist, Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid of Nevada said Republicans were "either taking leave of their senses or their principles" in advocating repeal.

Because actually doing something about illegal immigration is wrong.

Yahoo! News
Republicans want review of birthright citizenship
By BEN EVANS, Associated Press Writer Ben Evans, Associated Press Writer Tue Aug 3, 6:25 pm ET

WASHINGTON – Leading Republicans are joining a push to reconsider the constitutional amendment that grants automatic citizenship to people born in the United States.

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky said Tuesday he supports holding hearings on the 14th Amendment right, although he emphasized that Washington's immigration focus should remain on border security.

His comments came as other Republicans in recent days have questioned or challenged birthright citizenship, embracing a cause that had largely been confined to the far right.

The senators include Arizona's John McCain, the party's 2008 presidential nominee; Arizona's Jon Kyl, the Republicans' second-ranking senator; Alabama's Jeff Sessions, the top Republican on the Judiciary Committee, and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, a leading negotiator on immigration legislation.

"I'm not sure exactly what the drafters of the (14th) amendment had in mind, but I doubt it was that somebody could fly in from Brazil and have a child and fly back home with that child, and that child is forever an American citizen," Sessions said.

Legal experts say repealing the citizenship right can be done only through constitutional amendment, which would require approval by two-thirds majorities in both chambers of Congress and by three-fourths of the states. Legislation to amend the right, introduced previously in the House, has stalled.

The proposals are sure to appeal to conservative voters as immigration so far is playing a central role in November's elections. They also could carry risks by alienating Hispanic voters and alarming moderates who could view constitutional challenges as extreme. Hispanics have become the largest minority group in the United States, and many are highly driven by the illegal immigrant debate.

McConnell and McCain seemed to recognize the risk by offering guarded statements Tuesday.

McCain, who faces a challenge from the right in his re-election bid, said he supports reviewing citizenship rights. He emphasized, however, that amending the Constitution is a serious matter.

"I believe that the Constitution is a strong, complete and carefully crafted document that has successfully governed our nation for centuries and any proposal to amend the Constitution should receive extensive and thoughtful consideration," he said.

At a news conference, McConnell refused to endorse Graham's suggestion that citizenship rights be repealed for children of illegal immigrants. While refusing to take questions, he suggested instead that he would look narrowly into reports of businesses that help immigrants arrange to have babies in the United States in order to win their children U.S. citizenship.

The 14th Amendment, adopted in 1868 in the aftermath of the Civil War, granted citizenship to "all persons born or naturalized in the United States," including recently freed slaves.

Defenders of the amendment say altering it would weaken a fundamental American value while doing little to deter illegal immigration. They also say it would create bureaucratic hardships for parents giving birth.

Quoting a newspaper columnist, Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid of Nevada said Republicans were "either taking leave of their senses or their principles" in advocating repeal.

An estimated 10.8 million illegal immigrants were living in the U.S. as of January 2009, according to the Homeland Security Department. The Pew Hispanic Center estimates that as of 2008, there were 3.8 million illegal immigrants in this country whose children are U.S. citizens.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100803/ap_on_go_co/us_republicans_birthright_citizenship

[Tiger Wench]

Why should it bother any Hispanic person who is a legal US citizen?  They have the right to vote, and their kids are automatically citizens. This would not affect them.   The only people who should be pissed are those who come here illegally and have anchor babies - and they can't vote anyway, unless they are voting Democratic...