As the numbers of immigrants coming into the states are higher than ever, there are more babies of immigrants being born. A common discussion amongst a lot of people is whether or not these babies deserve the same rights as babies born from non-immigrant parents, or if any immigrants should be supported and protected by the constitution. Although, when taking into consideration what the constitution says about birthright citizenship, anyone born on U.S. soil is then automatically a U.S citizen, with no exceptions.
The Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution was ratified July 28, 1868. The amendment quotes, and grants citizenship to ‘all persons born or naturalized in the United States’. Section one of the amendment states that without due process of law, no state can deprive any person of life, liberty, or property. The section also says no person shall be denied within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws. Therefore, if born and naturalized in the United States, you shall be given equal opportunity, and equal rights just as anyone else born and naturalized in a separate state. More importantly, the amendment provides equal protection to anyone born in the United States. (History, 2019).
The Fourteenth Amendment’s equal protection clause requires states to practice equal protection of its citizens. This means that in no way can any state within the United States of America discriminate against any individuals guaranteed equal rights. As a United States citizen you are guaranteed several different rights, which are listed in each amendment of the Constitution. As soon as you are born, within any state, you are automatically given all of these rights.
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So, when bringing up the topic of immigration in the United States, and whether or not a child of an immigrant deserves these rights, consider what the Constitution has in place. According to USA Today, the article recognizeds 30 different countries that give automatic birthright citizenship to those born in the country besides the United States (USA Today, 2019). The amendment was first put into place for freed slaves right after the civil war, to grant them citizenship. Today, the amendment is still very beneficial to many people. For example, last year citizenship was granted to about 7% of babies in the United States.
There are currently many arguments made in favor of ending birthright citizenship. The arguments revolve mainly around the text of the Constitution (Vox 2018). The proposal has made its way to President Trump himself, and his outlook on the issue to end birthright citizenship is very conservative. Although, many other conservatives agree that trying to end birthright citizenship is taking things a little too far, and going against what the United States stands for.
The president claims that he plans on signing an executive order on the issue, which would then make birthright citizenship to immigrant babies no longer available.This was right after he swore on oath to protect and stand for our constitution. Although, it’s safe to say that in order for it to go through, it would have to be looked over extensively by the Department of Justice, as well as the Department of Homeland Security. It is commonly said that those illegal immigrants to enter the United States whose visas expire are going against the idea of, and excluding themselves from the government’s Jurisdiction.
In a situation like this the Government of course still has power to act on or against illegal immigrants. Deportation is one way to solve the issue, however regardless of an expired visa, undocumented immigrants are still tax payers. Illegal immigrants put about seven billion dollars a year into Social Security, as well as spending millions of dollars a year which then help the U.S. economy create new jobs. The economic impact of illegal immigrants is way bigger than most would think.
It’s hard to overlook the Constitution, and it’s even harder to make changes to it. The Fourteenth Amendment holds very important information pertaining to rights, and protecting rights for the people and citizens of the United States. Altering the rights this amendment gives to so many people would be changing what America stands for. The opening line specifically states that ‘all persons born or naturalized in the United States’ are guaranteed rights and protection, whether that be through due process or just the equal protection of all rights. This would also include all other amendments listed in the constitution. The United States is the land of opportunity, and the Fourteenth Amendment is just a small part of that. If born on American soil, your rights are guaranteed. There is nothing to question, nothing to overlook, ALL people born or naturalized within the states are automatically considered a United States citizen.
