This Blog is Obsolete

Hello Dear Readers,
I wanted to to let you all know that I have moved websites. I grew weary of blogger’s limitations—I guess I can’t have it both ways: free and complete control—and switched over to a different service that provides full website creation instead of just blogging. Here’s the new url: http://furiousramblings.com/

Birthright Citizenship—To Be or Not To Be

Immigration will once again be at the forefront of either candidates’ talking points in 2016. This topic can be distilled into smaller variations and one specificity has caught my attention. A few Republican hopefuls are calling to end birthright citizenship in the United States. In relation to illegal immigration, I see the logic behind that notion. Often people will cross the border and then have a child who is technically a citizen. Since our government isn’t full of monsters, generally a pathway to citizenship is offered to the child’s parents. “Anchor baby” is popular term for this practice.

From a sustainability perspective, ending birthright citizenship might be one of many solutions to stemming illegal immigration. Unfortunately for politicians who promise to end this policy, both the Constitution and tradition stand in the way. The Fourteenth Amendment directly states that people born in this country are automatically citizens. Therefore, writing a new law simply isn’t enough. A new amendment would be necessary and with political division deeper than ever before, I doubt congress could even get the process started. Even before 1868, people born in the U.S. were generally considered citizens.

If birthright citizenship was legally eliminated, our country has no system to replace it. Would everyone have to take a citizenship test or would the replacement process only apply to younger generations? Personally, I am stuck in the middle. On one hand, I see benefits of abolishing this practice. On the other hand, potential complexities and a lack of legal infrastructure might cause more problems compared to the status quo. Of course there are certain political ideologies—which will remain unnamed— that want to keep birthright citizenship, allowing our government can keep giving amnesty to every immigrant. After all the U.S. is a “nation of immigrants,” but I digress. What are your opinions on this issue dear readers? Feel free leave a comment below or on my facebook page. 

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