Lawmakers in Congress have criticized efforts by the Republican Party to change the constitution of the United States and end birthright citizenship as an automatic right for the children of undocumented immigrants born in the country. A hearing is set to be held by the Judiciary Subcommittee of the House of Representatives to put an end to birthright citizenship, for which a revision would need to be made to the 14th Amendment of the US Constitution.
Pro-immigration reform organization America’s Voice says that stopping birthright citizenship would result in the constitution being radically reinterpreted. Such action would destroy what has been a fundamental right for Americans and “bring the Department of Homeland Security into delivery rooms nationwide”.
US Representative Luis Gutierrez held a press conference yesterday morning during which he accused the leaders of the Republican Party of taking yet another step “into the extreme”. Gutierrez says he has realized that the Republicans will never be satisfied and that this latest move is just feeding the party’s “mean-spirited base”.
The amendment to end birthright citizenship has been proposed by Louisiana senator David Vitter and Iowa representative Steve King. King claims that the automatic granting of US citizenship to everyone born in the country misses the 14th Amendment clause that states ‘and subject to the jurisdiction thereof’, resulting in the practice being blown out of all proportion to the point where automatic citizenship is given to up to 750,000 babies born to undocumented immigrants each year.