GOP wants to gut the U.S. Constitution that they're supposedly so fond of preserving.

[ubiquitous_a]

Kyl: Illegal Aliens' Kids Shouldn't Be Citizens

Wants Hearing on 14th Amendment Which Grants Citizenship to Children of Illegal Immigrants Born in America

Sen. John Kyl, R-Ariz., said today that Congress should hold hearings to look into denying citizenship to illegal aliens' children born in the United States, as the fight over immigration widens

Comments

[popehippo]

the roughly 15 percent of the people who cross the border each year illegally who are criminals.

Source plz, as well as the stats of overall how many actual citizens who are also criminals in comparison.

[zoram]

If only 15% of all immigrants break the law, they're probably the most law-abiding part of the population.

[luomo]

"To me the most important thing is the crime associated with it - not necessarily committed by illegal immigrants but committed on illegal immigrants

...right.

[nothingmuch]

"The 14th Amendment [has been] interpreted to provide that if you are born in the United States, you are a citizen no matter what," Kyl said. "So the question is, if both parents are here illegally, should there be a reward for their illegal behavior?"

So being born here is illegal now? Because the only ones being rewarded right now are the ones who never chose to come here. Newborn Americans aren't being rewarded for "illegal behavior."

The 14th amendment is all that stands between us and a new era of slavery. Without it, babies born here to undocumented immigrants would have no citizenship anywhere and nowhere else to go. They'd have no choice but to live in the US and work under the table. There would be nowhere to deport them, and they would have no future other than working like a slave for wealthy jerks like John Kyl.

[dicranum]

I was just wondering if that meant they'd have no citizenship at all. Agh. That's scary. I'm sure the sickos running sex slave trades would just love this.

[thenakedcat]

Unless the country (or countries) of origin of the child's parents had some sort of legislation specifically addressing this issue, the international standard is based on jus soli (place of birth) trumping jus sanguinis (citizenship of parents) except in very limited circumstances (for example, if the parents were only in the country of birth on a tourist visa and left immediately afterwards). The country or countries of parents' origin would be entirely justified in refusing the child citizenship on the grounds that there should be jus soli US citizenship...leaving a very real threat that the child would be stateless.

[girlthatyoufear]

Pray tell, Kyl, where exactly would you like me and millions of other children of immigrants to go? We're born and raised here. Many have never gone to their parents' country of origin/are not citizens of those countries nor do they know their parents' native language (if it is indeed not English). Many of their parents nearly sacrificed their lives to get to this country in order to give those children a better life in the supposed "land of the free". Also, can we talk about how you are probably a descendant of "illegalz" somewhere down the line? Can we strip you of your citizenship? You certainly don't deserve it either given that you're willing to shit all over the Constitution you and your party supposedly care about.

You can shut the fuck up now.

[poetic_pixie_13]

Thisthisthisthis.

"Going back where I came from" means going to a country I've never lived in, one where a bloody 26 year civil war just ended and where as a queer woman and an ethnic minority I know my rights won't be protected or even recognized. I don't speak my mother-tongue and would have to adjust to a way of life that is totally foreign to me. But none of that matters because immigrants and their children can never 'really' belong. And because, at the end of the day, to people like Kyl we're just not full people.

[poetic_pixie_13]