The Real Story: Anchor Babies

[MDM4AU 332]

The Real Story: Anchor Babies

Senator John Warner has blocked an attempt by some prominent Republican Sentors to add a few illegal immigration provisions -- like the 700 mile "just go around me" fence to a defense bill that's coming up for a Senate vote soon. It's now looking more and more like, once again, NO immigration bills will be voted on before the Senate is supposed to adjourn on October 6. By the way, is anyone looking into these guys' vacation schedules? They had virtually the entire month of August off and now they're going to adjourn in early October? It's no wonder nothing ever gets passed.

Anyway, the Real Story tonight is that even if this bill were to pass and the fence magically appeared overnight, we'd still be stuck with a major roadblock in the way of ever really fixing the problem...the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

That Amendment, which was debated and ratified back in the 1860's, says that, quote "All persons born or naturalized in the United States...are citizens of the United States."

Sounds simple enough, until you consider that in the 1860's the biggest thing on Congress's mind was slavery. The Supreme Court had ruled that the children of slaves could never become U.S. citizens and Congress wanted to change that.

Wait a second -- the "infallible" Supreme Court may have made a mistake?

...And our Congress can fix it!? Wow, maybe they should try using that little superpower a bit more often.

Now, nearly 140 years after the Amendment was ratified, it has nothing to do with the children of slaves anymore. Now it's all about the children of illegal immigrants. Some estimates say that as many as 10%, or over 400,000, of all babies born in the U.S. are to illegal immigrant parents.

The kids are sometimes called "Anchor Babies" because they can petition the government to make their parents citizens once they reach age 21 which has lead many people to suspect their parent's conceive them simply to get themselves citizenship. In Los Angeles, nearly 100,000 children of illegal immigrants received free government aid this past January. That cost the city $23 million dollars. Again, that's one month...in one city.

Aside from Canada and Mexico, the U.S. is one of the only modernized Western countries that allows for birthright citizenship. Try it in the U.K., France or Germany and they'll say either "tough luck" or "send us an application and we'll get back to you."

Over the years there've been a lot of attempts to change the 14th Amendment, but they've all failed since no politician really wants to be seen as "hating newborns" or, quite honestly, be called a racist for helping to repeal something that's so strongly associated with helping African Americans.

The Glenn Beck Program

[TexasTiger 12,964]

The Real Story: Anchor Babies

Senator John Warner has blocked an attempt by some prominent Republican Sentors to add a few illegal immigration provisions -- like the 700 mile "just go around me" fence to a defense bill that's coming up for a Senate vote soon. It's now looking more and more like, once again, NO immigration bills will be voted on before the Senate is supposed to adjourn on October 6. By the way, is anyone looking into these guys' vacation schedules? They had virtually the entire month of August off and now they're going to adjourn in early October? It's no wonder nothing ever gets passed.

Anyway, the Real Story tonight is that even if this bill were to pass and the fence magically appeared overnight, we'd still be stuck with a major roadblock in the way of ever really fixing the problem...the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

That Amendment, which was debated and ratified back in the 1860's, says that, quote "All persons born or naturalized in the United States...are citizens of the United States."

Sounds simple enough, until you consider that in the 1860's the biggest thing on Congress's mind was slavery. The Supreme Court had ruled that the children of slaves could never become U.S. citizens and Congress wanted to change that.

Wait a second -- the "infallible" Supreme Court may have made a mistake?

...And our Congress can fix it!? Wow, maybe they should try using that little superpower a bit more often.

Now, nearly 140 years after the Amendment was ratified, it has nothing to do with the children of slaves anymore. Now it's all about the children of illegal immigrants. Some estimates say that as many as 10%, or over 400,000, of all babies born in the U.S. are to illegal immigrant parents.

The kids are sometimes called "Anchor Babies" because they can petition the government to make their parents citizens once they reach age 21 which has lead many people to suspect their parent's conceive them simply to get themselves citizenship. In Los Angeles, nearly 100,000 children of illegal immigrants received free government aid this past January. That cost the city $23 million dollars. Again, that's one month...in one city.

Aside from Canada and Mexico, the U.S. is one of the only modernized Western countries that allows for birthright citizenship. Try it in the U.K., France or Germany and they'll say either "tough luck" or "send us an application and we'll get back to you."

Over the years there've been a lot of attempts to change the 14th Amendment, but they've all failed since no politician really wants to be seen as "hating newborns" or, quite honestly, be called a racist for helping to repeal something that's so strongly associated with helping African Americans.

The Glenn Beck Program

So now you looney Right Wingers want us to be like Europe? They've don't a great job of assimilating immigrants. (rolls eyes sarcastically)

[AURaptor 1,125]

I've not heard of it yet, but it seems like a great gimmick. Folks went nuts over the Beanie Babies craze a few yrs ago. When are we going to hear some marketing guru come up with some annoyingly cute toy with the name of 'Anchor Babies' ? Maybe something in the line of SpongeBob Square Pants ?

TexasTiger

So now you looney Right Wingers want us to be like Europe? They've don't a great job of assimilating immigrants. (rolls eyes sarcastically)

The problem w/ Europe is that they didn't keep anyone out. We've let so many folks in , they've not had to assimilate at all, but have been able to do as they please. Time for that to change.

[MDM4AU 332]

So now you looney Right Wingers want us to be like Europe? They've don't a great job of assimilating immigrants. (rolls eyes sarcastically)

Yeah, 'cause that is exactly what this editorial says. It's all about assimilation and being just like Europe. (rolls eyes sarcastically at the lunacy of left wing nut jobs like Tex).

[Bottomfeeder 244]

They did the same thing with the poem at the Statue of Liberty.

“The New Colossus” by Emma Lazarus

“Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

The Emma Lazarus poem, "The New Colossus" which is a hymn to immigration, is not inscribed on the base of the statue, as some would have us believe, and has no connection at all with the original vision. The poem's inclusion was a completely separate event, dedicated by some friends of the poet in 1903 after her death.

The Statue of Liberty's intent to inspire people to build their own democratic societies is even more important now that the planet is home to over six billion persons. The huddled masses cannot all be saved by immigration to America. The rescue paradigm of immigration is clearly no longer appropriate, if it ever was. In fact, the "wretched refuse of your teeming shore" threatens to become a permanent underclass.

The Lazarus poem should be removed from Bedloe Island and banished to a dark corner of the Smithsonian as an artifact of another time.

http://www.petitiononline.com/FreeLady/petition.html

[CCTAU 3,335]

I've always felt that children born to illegals on our soil are just as illegal. I do not have a problem with the children born here of legal parents having the distinction of being citizens. Is this discimination? NO. Only legal entities have citizenship rights. Or at least its supposed to work like that.

[Tigermike 3,041]

I've always felt that children born to illegals on our soil are just as illegal. I do not have a problem with the children born here of legal parents having the distinction of being citizens. Is this discimination? NO. Only legal entities have citizenship rights. Or at least its supposed to work like that.

We had that discussion a couple of years ago and the dems on this board got so bent out of shape, I thought it would cause apoplexy.

[Bottomfeeder 244]

I'm consider a dem and I'm not getting out of shape about this issue. Heck, ship all of 'em home as far as I'm concerned. I believe in Constitutional Law.