by Joe Guzzardi
Earlier this month at Washington, D.C.’s National Press Club the State Legislators for Legal Immigration, a coalition of legislators from 40 states, unveiled its strategy to end the policy of giving automatic citizenship to all children born in the United States regardless of their parents’ immigration status.
Led by Pennsylvania State Representative Daryl Metcalfe, the organization timed its press conference with the 112th Congress’ swearing in ceremony. The group hoped to send the message to Congress that it needs to seriously address one of illegal immigration’s root causes, namely birthright citizenship.
Among developed Western nations, as defined by the World Bank, only Canada and the United States still grant automatic citizenship at birth to anyone born on their soil.
Referring to possible legislation that would end birthright citizenship by requiring that at least one parent be either a citizen or a legal permanent resident, Metcalfe said: “According to the 14th Amendment, the primary requirements for U.S. citizenship are dependent on total allegiance to America, not mere physical geography. 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.”
Curiously, California is not among the 40 states represented among the concerned legislators. The state and its largest city, Los Angeles, have suffered fiscally and environmentally more than anywhere in America from the consequences of illegal immigration and legal citizen anchor babies.
According to the Department of Homeland Security’s most recent available statistics, about 2.6 million illegal aliens live in California. In Los Angeles County, the nation’s largest county with a population of 9.8 million, about 54 percent (5.3 million) speak a language other than English.
According to L.A. County Supervisor Michael Antonovich, in 2010 the “total cost for illegal immigrants to county taxpayers” was more than $1.6 billion including food stamps and benefits from CalWorks, a comprehensive welfare program.
Antonovich added that welfare benefits for the children of illegal immigrants (anchor babies) cost Los Angeles County more than $600 million last year, “not including the hundreds of millions of dollars for education.”
Yet education is by far the most expensive illegal alien entitlement. For Antonovich to leave it out of his calculation is like omitting your monthly mortgage from your family expenses.
Had Antonovich included immigrant education costs, he could have added a staggering $3 billion to the taxpayers’ tab.
The California Department of Education’s website shows that K-12 schools included as part of Los Angeles County’s districts had 410,000 non-English speakers enrolled during the 2009-2010 academic year. Nearly 90 percent (369,000) list Spanish as their native language.
The inescapable conclusion is that most Los Angeles County non-English speakers come from Mexico or Central America and are either illegal immigrants or their citizen children.
Using a conservative average annual cost of $7,500 per student, the estimated education dollar total for those illegal immigrants and anchor babies is $2.8 billion. Added to Antonovich’s $1.6 billion welfare costs, the aggregate bill is $4.4 billion—in Los Angeles alone! Statewide, the sum approaches a staggering $10 billion.
California is such a mess with its $25 billion deficit and 12.5 percent unemployment that ignoring the obvious costs associated with illegal immigration is folly. Cutting teacher salaries and closing libraries, as Governor Jerry Brown proposes, won’t eliminate a multi-billion dollar debt. But discouraging illegal immigration by eliminating one of its biggest magnets, automatic birthright citizenship, will.
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There will be a monumental hew & cry if this ever gets to the floor of the congress. Americans & especially conservative Americans will be relentlessly vilified as evil, mean, cruel, greedy, and in every way imaginable, dastardly. However, the 14th Amendment was intended to deal w/ freed slaves, not illegal aliens. The children of foreign agents, Ambassadors or other individuals from foreign countries, are not granted automatic birthright citizenship. Why would they be different? No reason. The truth is, one judge in the 1980's included a ruling on this & his point was piggy-backed on another ruling.
The costs are completely out of control. That a baby can sponsor its parents who entered illegally & thereby the still illegal alien parents can evade legal responsibility for their criminal acts, is shameful. Obviously, birthright citizenship is being used as a back door entry into America & a back door amnesty for the parents. Worse is that multiple additional family members end up sponsored in, while legal applicants for entry wait sometimes years for entry. Thats unfair. Evading legal responsibility for their actions is also unfair.
I know many feel its mean to say the parents & their children must return to the native country &/or be responsible in some way fr their illegal actions. Some say the children, whether born on American soil or if a child was brought here by their parents w/ no knowledge a crime was committed, should be granted citizenship &/or amnesty of some sort. Once again, the kid gets to grant pardon to Mom & Dad after a crime is committed. Its simply not fair. That billions are plowed into support for these people makes this seriously wrong. American taxpayers cannot be reasonably expected to pay the bill for everyone who sticks out their hand & especially for those who have broken & who ignore our rule of law. In many cases we see some folks in these categories actually mocking America & demanding we pay their way as though they are entitled to such payments. They seem to think America owes payments to them as some sort of penance! It must stop & ending birthright citizenship is a great place to start!
I live on the border of Mexico and our hospitals are full of women coming over here to have their babies (free of course) My sister-in-law was a pediatric nurse and worked in the nursery at one of our best hospitals (of course this is everywhere) she said that if there were 25 babies in the nursery – 20 of them were from Mexico….Aside from this – we need to take health care, social security and other perks away from those b —–ds in Washington. They work for us. If our healthcare and SS is good enough for us, it's good enough for them.
If I catch someone trying to break into my house, they will be met with my shotgun, both barrels! Yet here is a system that rewards those breaking into the USA. There needs to be legislation enforced that prosecutes the illegals and those who employ them with such severity that fear alone stops them. Enough of the American dream has been stolen and sent south.
Ironically, Mexico has laws in place regarding immigration that are far more draconian than ours. You should read “Reglamento de la Ley General de Poblacion” which is the General Law on Population enacted in Mexico in April 2000. It mandates that federal, local and municipal police cooperate with federal immigration authorities in that country in the arrests of illegal immigrants.
Under the Mexican law, illegal immigration is a felony, punishable by up to two years in prison. Immigrants who are deported and attempt to re-enter can be imprisoned for 10 years. Visa violators can be sentenced to six-year terms. Mexicans who help illegal immigrants are considered criminals.
The law also says Mexico can deport foreigners who are deemed detrimental to “economic or national interests,” violate Mexican law, are not “physically or mentally healthy” or lack the “necessary funds for their sustenance” and for their dependents.
OK artinthewild….. how is it possible that this has been going on for years, even decades perhaps, yet the media are not doing regular reports so 'the people' know of this? How can America be paying out so many billions of dollars, yet few Americans are aware that there are hospitals such as the one your sister-in-law worked at? Lets face it, what she described to you was not a once a year happening. Your description indicates this is normal order of business for that particular hospital. And if its normal business for that hospital, then you can bet the bank its normal business for almost every hospital along our porous southern border with Mexico.
Also, keep in mind Mexico is now building a border fence, to secure Mexico from their southern neighbors, Guatemala. Did anyone know this?????
Why do you think California has hospitals closing their doors? because of all the illegal aliens. People over here hire them because they don't have to pay them as much, don't have to pay emp. tax, benefits or S.S. or hospitalization – they leave it up to the tax payer….we pay for it. If you check records you will see that the U.S. pays out billions a year on illegal aliens in prison…I've got the numbers if you're interested…I don't think any one knew about Guatemala, I'm not surprised though. You know the rigorous laws and rules you have to pass to live in Mexico? Of course you have to have a passport….I don't understand why every country in the world demands a passport whereas here on the border from Mexico we're the bad guys because we want one. Will someone please tell me why?