Birthright Citizenship Weakens Immigration Control

            A vexing problem for immigration control is the so-called birthright citizenship policy, which grants automatic citizenship to the children of illegal aliens who are born on U.S. soil. The policy supposedly derives from the 14^th Amendment to the Constitution which states that people born in the United States, “under U.S. jurisdiction,” are citizens. Significantly, the authors of the amendment did not define everyone in the country as being under our jurisdiction. Specifically excluded were Indian tribes, which were regarded at time as separate nations.

            Illegal aliens, as foreign nationals, are not under U.S. jurisdiction anymore than those tribes were. Therefore it is not proper to make the children of illegals citizens on the basis of the 14^th Amendment. Birthright citizenship indeed is simply a custom not based on law. As Washington correspondent David Whitney stated in the Sacramento Bee, “Although Congress has never passed a law saying so, no president has ever ordered it, and no court has ever ruled on the issue, each of these babies [born to illegal aliens] automatically becomes a U.S. citizen when it takes its first breath.”

            Many illegal aliens understand this policy quite well. They come to the U.S. and have their citizen children. Those children are entitled to all welfare benefits that any other citizen may receive, and at age 21 that citizen child can petition for his parents to become legal residents.

            Some U.S. congressmen have introduced legislation to end birthright citizenship, but their efforts so far have not come close to success. A state level approach now under way in California is the California Taxpayer Protection Act, an initiative supporters are trying to place on the ballot by gathering petition signatures. The measure would allow only citizens and permanent legal residents to receive public benefits, including non-emergency and prenatal care.

            The immediate goal would be to save money for the state of California, now near bankruptcy, in no small part because of costs related to illegal immigration. But just as important, say supporters, is bringing the issue of birthright citizenship to the courts, so the issue can be resolved. If the children of illegals cannot get public benefits, legal action is a certainty.

            Those wanting more information about the initiative can go to the website www.taxpayerrevolution.com or write Taxpayer Revolution, Box 9985, San Diego, CA 92159.          

Our Elites Are Clueless on Amnesty

            America’s elites are beating the drums for amnesty. And the tempo of the beat is increasing. President Obama proclaimed his commitment to “comprehensive” reform, i.e. amnesty. Then the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) recently issued a report from a task force co-chaired by former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush which called for legalization of illegals. The CFR accurately boasts that its members are leaders in the fields of government, business, media, and other key sectors. At about the same time, Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) promised to have an amnesty bill ready by Labor Day.

            His mention of Labor Day, a holiday to celebrate American workers, reflects the height of irony and the height of his cluelessness. With fourteen million Americans out of work, Schumer and his fellow elitists seem to have nothing better to do than enabling illegal aliens to keep the jobs they have taken, while sending out the message that lawbreaking pays—an invitation for more lawbreakers to come and take U.S. jobs.

            A recent Rasmussen poll shows just how clueless our elites are. It found that only 32 percent of our political class members believe that it is important to gain control over the border and reduce illegal immigration. In contrast, 66 percent of American voters said that it was important. The poll also found that three-fourths of voters don’t believe the government has done enough to secure the border.

            The last point is most significant because Schumer claims that the border now is significantly under control—which in his mind justifies giving amnesty to the illegal aliens already here.         

            Among the other findings of the poll: 77 percent of voters oppose driver’s licenses for illegal aliens; 68 percent say that employers who hire illegal aliens should be punished, and by a margin of 48 percent to 36 percent voters favor punishment of landlords who rent to illegals.

            It is pretty apparent from the poll that most Americans are not inclined to reward illegal aliens with jobs. And how could it be otherwise with so many Americans without jobs themselves? Unfortunately, to borrow a phrase from former President Bill Clinton, our political class is not feeling our pain.

            That, fellow Americans, is what we need to inform them about—by telephone, letter, fax and e-mail. And if they still don’t get the message, let’s go to the ballot box and give them a firsthand taste of unemployment.

Schumer Makes Misleading Pitch for Amnesty

            Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) says that now is the time to pass amnesty for illegal aliens because the Mexican border is being secured. Schumer said that amnesty failed in the past because “the American people didn’t have faith that there wouldn’t be a future wave of immigrants if we passed that bill.”

            But is the border secure? Far from it. Apprehensions of illegal aliens have declined, specifically from 876,704 arrests in 2007 to 723,825 in 2008. Even with that decline, a lot of illegals are still crossing the border. The Border Patrol estimates that every illegal caught, three make it in successfully. Furthermore, most of the decline is due to bad economic conditions in the U.S. rather than tightened border security. Presumably the numbers will go up again when the economy improves.

            If Sen. Schumer really believes that the border is secure or significantly secure, he should consider the recent report put out by the National Drug Intelligence Center (NDIC), a division of the Justice Department. The report summarized conditions along the border, with respect to drug and human trafficking, in the following states:

            California. There the NDIC found that [border areas] “are easily breached by traffickers on foot, in private vehicles, or in all-terrain vehicles.”

            Arizona. “[T]rafficking activities [in Arizona] are facilitated by several factors . . . including . . . a remote, largely underprotected border area between Arizona’s points of entry.”

            New Mexico. The border in that state has “innumerable footpaths, roads and trails.” [This situation] and minimal law enforcement coverage make the area an ideal smuggling corridor for drugs and other illicit goods and services—primarily alien smuggling into the United States. . . .”

            Texas. There said the report, between ports of entry, the border is “easily breached” and protected by few “physical barriers.”

            Thus it seems that Schumer’s claim about border security is far off the mark. Also, he neglects to note that at least 40 percent of illegal immigration has nothing to do with the border. That percentage of illegals consists of those who entered with legal temporary visas and then remained after overstaying them.

            Even if illegal immigration were being brought under control, it does not follow that we should reward the illegals already here with legal status and eventual citizenship. The fact of the matter is that Schumer simply wants an amnesty, and he’s not too particular about the excuses he uses. He may get his way if he can mislead enough Americans.   

       Democrats, and Republicans, Sell Out America

            Critics of mass immigration often attack the Democrat Party for wanting to invite the world to come to America. And certainly much of that blame is justified. Many Democrats view immigrants, particularly unassimilated immigrants, as a new constituency of cheap votes for their party. But let’s not forget those Republicans who do the bidding of the Chamber of Commerce and various economic interests to keep the stream of cheap labor flowing.

            A case in point was Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) who voiced his views at President Obama’s recent strategy session to determine how to pass legislation granting amnesty and the pathway to citizenship to illegal aliens. McCain, who helped lead the failed charge for amnesty in 2007, declared that he would not support an amnesty bill that did not include a new program to bring in temporary foreign workers.

            The gall of this man is beyond belief. Currently, unemployment among Americans is 9.5 percent. If you add to that the number of people who have given up looking for work and those who can only find part-time jobs, you get an “underemployment rate” of 16.5 percent. In 2008, America lost 3.1 million jobs. So far this year, now only half over, we lost 3.4 million jobs.

            At present, our immigration and temporary visa system admits 138,000 foreigners a month into the U.S. job market. Several hundred thousand illegal immigrants are still coming in a year, and about 8.3 million illegals now hold American jobs. The legal flow of foreign workers is bad enough and amnesty will make things worse by allowing illegals to keep the jobs they have, while encouraging more foreigners to come here illegally in hope that they too can strike the amnesty jackpot. But on top of all these indignities, McCain and his cheap labor cronies want to add a guest worker program!

            One obstacle is organized labor. Long ago union bosses turned against the interests of American workers by ending opposition to illegal immigration. They figured that amnestied illegals could join unions and pay dues. The impact of illegals on workers’ wages didn’t seem to bother these leaders. Nevertheless, it does seem to concern them about guest workers. Presumably, people who are temporary won’t be able to join unions.

            McCain told President Obama that he must pressure unions to accept guest workers if he wants an amnesty. Let’s hope the union bosses maintain what integrity they have left and say no. Amnesty and guest worker programs, especially in today’s economic climate, are a sellout of America. And please note, the sellout is bipartisan.