Originally Posted by Eric Payne
All persons born in the United States.
Mamma and Pappa (c'mon, let's be honest... when we start talking "illegal alien," we're really saying/thinking: "Mexican") might not be in this country legally.
No, that's not what I was thinking. While there are a large percentage of Mexican nationals, there are many others from other Central and South Americal countries. The Mexican border is pathetically unenforced, so many enter there, but that is not the only avenue into this country. Take a look at Florida, only 90 miles from Cuba, and the number of "boat people" we have here.
But if they have a child while in the United States, unless that child is born on the grounds of their country's embassy (an embassy being considered "native soil" to that embassy's home country), that child is, by birth, a United States citizen. Precisely what I said.
As for what entitlements Mamma and Pappa might receive, if any, I point out that you refer to statute limiting entitlements; the Constitution has no such limitation, except deferring to statute. However, those statutes are not absolute - with just a bang of a gavel, a judge (although I would think it would have to be a federal judge) can invalidate any and all statutes and grant any immigrant immediate refugee status, if they so desire.
No, they can't. Especially if they want to retain their judicial position. And there is no need to invalidate anything -- as I said, the laws already exist to grant asylum status for those who qualify as legimate refugees.
"Illegal aliens" is nothing more than this year's election campaign wedge issue. Two and four years ago, it was the horrible spectre of thousands upon thousands of homosexuals setting up shop in the suburbs. Two years from now, it'll be something else.
It may be this year's election campaign issue to you -- it is an ongoing drain on this country's resources that I and other taxpayers have to provide -- year after year after year. Quite frankly, I would like to see an amendment to the Constitution that would change that absolute guarantee of citizenship granted to those born in the US to one where the mother would have to be in the country legally for the child to receive citizenship. It would reduce the numbers of expectant mothers risking their lives in late pregnancy to enter the country illegally, just for the purpose of gaining citizenship status for the child.
To me the big issue isn't uneducated, untrained people coming to this country to take unskilled laborer jobs. To me, the big issue is the high paying, technically advanced jobs being moved to India and China, were corporations can pay wages that, in this country, would be illegal.
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