An Attack on Children and the Constitution: State Legislators Announce Attempt to Subvert 14th Amendment and Deny Birth Citizenship

January 5, 2011

Dismissing the U.S. Constitution and its core American values, politicians from 14 states touted proposals to subvert the 14th Amendment by denying newborn children of immigrants U.S. citizenship and the documentation needed to prove citizenship.  Below is a statement from Linton Joaquin, general counsel of the National Immigration Law Center:

Today’s announcement that state legislators intend effectively to rewrite the Constitution should be viewed as an affront to any American who values this fundamental document.  That all children born in the United States have equal rights is a value enshrined in the 14th Amendment and the American psyche.

The legislators who threaten to roll back this sacred value do more than play fast and loose with the Constitution; they suggest that we as a society should treat some American children less favorably than other American children.  The National Immigration Law Center stands with civil rights, children’s advocacy, and faith organizations, as well as millions of American parents, who condemn this attack on babies.

Instead of wasting precious taxpayer resources on these anti-American proposals, we urge elected officials to use their leadership to promote policies that help, rather than hurt, American families.



For more information, visit <www.nilc.org>.


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