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WASHINGTON -- The battle over immigration moved to a fresh front today as conservative state lawmakers offered up a new strategy to strip U.S. citizenship from babies born to those in the country illegally.

Calling themselves State Legislators for Legal Immigration, officials from five states offered up "model legislation to correct the monumental misapplication of the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution."

Speaking at a packed news conference at the National Press Club that was disrupted several times by protesters, Republican legislators from Pennsylvania, Georgia, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Arizona -- ground zero in the fight over illegal immigration -- said they timed their announcement for today's opening of Congress.

"We are here to send a very public message to Congress," said Pennsylvania state Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, the coalition's founder. "We want to bring an end to the illegal-alien invasion that is having such a negative impact on our states."

The lawmakers unveiled two measures they said would be introduced in at least 14 state legislatures this year to deal with what some call "anchor babies." One defines a "citizen of the state" as a person who has at least one parent who is living in the country legally. The other is a "compact" that urges Congress to redefine U.S. citizenship along the same lines.

Both measures, which if passed could cause widespread confusion by creating a patchwork of definitions of citizenship, are the handiwork of Kansas Secretary of State-elect Kris Kobach, a University of Missouri law professor who also authored Arizona's strict immigration law.

By his interpretation, the 14th Amendment's reference to citizens being those "subject to the jurisdiction thereof" the United States disqualifies the children of undocumented immigrants because their parents owe no loyalty to this country.

"The primary requirements for U.S. citizenship are dependent on total allegiance to America, not mere physical geography," Metcalfe said. "The purpose of this model legislation is to restore the original intent of the 14th Amendment, which is currently being misapplied and is encouraging illegal aliens to cross and cost American taxpayers $113 billion annually, or nearly $1,117 yearly per individual taxpayer."

Most legal scholars say the jurisdiction phrase was intended to apply to the children of diplomats posted in the United States.


now as a conservative, i disagree with this action. i find it incredibly dangerous to start stripping americans of their citizenship, over something they have no control over.

i think this is really a matter of desperation, but it's the wrong way of approaching the problem, not to mention a PR nightmare. pass laws going after employers of illegal immigrants (who, let's face it, are exploiting their labor and dodging taxes), and secure the border. you have to make it harder to sneak into the country illegally and undermine the reason for doing so, rather than attacking a mere symptom of the true problem.


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i can't believe more people aren't interested in this.

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Originally Posted by Dødherre Mørktre:
i can't believe more people aren't interested in this.

I agree with your disagreement

And over the years we've definitely had our moments but, in general, this group tends to gravitate away from political topics and more towards fun stuff and relationships.

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i know, i can be too heavy.

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If they were born here they have a right to be here. They are a born US citizen and that should not be taken away from them.

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I'm not sure that this is the answer to the problem of illegals.... '

and just curious.... does anyone know how other countries treat children born to illegals or even people who are in the country legally but without citizenship?

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Originally Posted by Jann Morrison Kostka:
I'm not sure that this is the answer to the problem of illegals.... '

and just curious.... does anyone know how other countries treat children born to illegals or even people who are in the country legally but without citizenship?

i don't know how true it is, but i've heard that america is one of only two countries that grant birthright citizenship.