Issue 120: June 19, 2002

+== TIME-OUT PROJECT ==+

The Los Angeles Times reported a few weeks ago on a large and growing industry in Asia catering to “birth tourists” — pregnant women who time trips to the United States to coincide with their due dates.

The motivation for these mothers-to-be is simple: thanks to a gross misinterpretation of the Fourteenth Amendment, the U.S. grants automatic citizenship to any child born on U.S. soil.

These children are known as “anchor babies.” That is, they may legally “anchor” themselves and their extended families in the United States. There are an estimated 200,000 such babies delivered in the United States every year (including those born to illegal aliens).

Foreign women stand to gain much from having an anchor baby in the family, but the benefit to the United States is unclear.

The anchor baby phenomenon effectively removes control of immigration from the American people and is a significant component in a population explosion that now has the United States growing at a faster rate than China. Furthermore, anchor babies contribute to the dangerous trend toward dual citizenship — the holding of both U.S. and foreign passports.

The Fourteenth Amendment, on which “birthright citizenship” is based, was originally enacted to ensure the voting rights of newly freed slaves after the Civil War. It was not intended to, say, make the child of the French ambassador an American if it happens to be born in Washington while the ambassador is serving.

The salient part of the amendment reads:

“All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.”

Neither a pregnant Mexican woman illegally in the United States, nor a pregnant Korean tourist, is “subject to the jurisdiction” of the United States. They are subject to the jurisdiction of the countries of their citizenship. As such, their newborns are not subject to the American people, and they are not American citizens.
____________________________
Korean moms want ‘born in USA’ babies (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/text/134461964_koreabirths26.html

The Great Attractor (John Derbyshire in National Review)
http://www.nationalreview.com/derbyshire/derbyshire052802.asp

Anchor Babies and Interpreting the 14th Amendment (FAIR)
http://www.fairus.org/html/04139708.htm

Forum on dual citizenship: Freedom means choice (Dan Stein in Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
http://www.post-gazette.com/forum/comm/20020616edstein16p1.asp

+== TAKE POSITIVE ACTION ==+

Birthright citizenship and dual citizenship dilute our national heritage and weaken our sense of community. Both customs must end. Unfortunately, we cannot count on Washington for any help. This battle will likely have to be won in the courts.

A great test case would be that of Yasser Esam Hamdi, the Al Queda fighter (and Guantanamo prisoner) who is an “American” because he was born in Louisiana to Saudi parents, but who lived all his life in Saudi Arabia until he went off to kill Americans in Afghanistan.

The State Department should revoke this guy’s citizenship, and let the ACLU take the case to the Supreme Court. It is time for a ruling on the foolish and unnecessary custom of giving away citizenship to anyone who happens to be born in the U.S. No other country that we know of does this, and neither should we.

You can help in the legal battle for a more modern and moderate immigration policy by supporting the new group, Friends of Immigration Law Enforcement (FILE).

http://fileus.com/

+== QUOTE OF THE WEEK ==+

A nation to be strong, must be united; to be united, must be equal in condition; to be equal in condition, must be similar in habits and feeling; to be similar in habits and feeling, must be raised in national institutions as the children of a common family, and citizens of a common country.

Frances Wright, Scottish author and speaker
From a lecture given in June, 1829
(she had recently become an American citizen)

+== EMAIL OF THE WEEK ==+

Please sign me up for your “Free Ezine.” I love your “talking points” which articulate how I feel, but was never able to put into words. You have provided me with the verbal ammunition to go out there and do my bit more effectively. Thank you.

Laila Sullivan
Lake Oswego, OR

+==BONUS EMAIL OF THE WEEK==+

go to hell fucking kkk you piece of shit if you think america is full so what can you do about it we mexicans are taking over you fucking loser

Octaza@aol.com
(budding Denver Post editorialist)

Tags:   Al Queda · anchor baby · Asia · birth tourism · Fourteenth Amendment · Friends of Immigration Law Enforcement · Korea · Los Angeles Times · Yasser Esam HamdiNo Comments