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Birthright of Citizenship

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Submitted By belucas66
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The Birthright Citizenship Amendment is one that has caused controversy. Should a person that is born in the US, regardless of whether the parents were here temporarily, or illegally be considered an American citizen? The 14th Amendment states “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the States wherein they reside”, ( Spalding, 2010). The interpretation of this amendment has caused the controversy. Those opposed to ending the clause in the Birthright Citizenship Amendment argue “The framers' intent was to create an objective basis for establishing citizenship—birth—not a subjective standard left to the whim of a majority. The United States has, for that reason, never struggled like other nations to integrate those born here” ( Fitz, 2010). These people feel that the children born here will always feel stigmatized if not accepted as an American citizen, and this will do more harm than good for our nation. Those who seek to end this clause have a different perspective “It violates bedrock American principles and undermines the rule of law” ( Spalding, 2010). He goes on to say that he has no problem with legal immigrants having children who are automatically given birthright citizenship, but this right should exclude illegal immigrants or temporary visitors. I tend to agree with Spalding on this. I do not feel it is fair or beneficial to give Birthright Citizenship to any child born on American soil to an illegal immigrant. This seems to me to encourage illegal immigrants to have children in our nation, so they can be called Americans and have a chance for a better life. There are proper channels to go through for a reason, and how devastating would it be for a young child who has citizenship here, then be moved back to their parents home country if the

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