Illegal immigrants and birthright citizenship

Illegal Immigration
Illegal Immigration is a major dilemma in the U.S today. According to the 2010 Census there are 10 million illegal immigrants residing in the United States and this number could be higher due to the fact that some undocumented immigrants don’t participate in the census out of fear. There are numerous arguments arguing against illegal immigrants and for illegal immigrants.

Birthright citizenship should not be eliminated
According to this article, some argue that one way to solve the illegal immigration problem is by amending the Fourteenth Amendment to the US Constitution to eliminate birthright citizenship. They believe that by doing so it will make U.S citizenship more valuable, and lessen illegal immigration or even stop it. But birthright citizenship, in some form, has been around since the dawn of the Republic. If birthright citizenship is eliminated, many individuals born in the U.S would remain American citizens by inheritance or could could become citizens by completing an application for naturalization. But others ”would not be eligible for derivative citizenship and would have no status allowing them to apply for American citizenship. They would remain "foreign denizens" resident here—at least until they legalized, left, or were deported.” If birthright citizenship were to be abolished those born in the U.S would “lose their access to easy proof of citizenship. Instead, they will find it necessary to turn to the exceptionally complex US rules for citizenship by blood”. In addition, if the fourteenth amendment were to be amended, then the U.S would have to create a national registry of American citizens and each person born in the U.S.A would be required to have his/her citizenship adjudicated. These adjudications would have to be done by difficult to find attorneys. “We have a clear, long-standing rule of citizenship law—one that is easy to understand and easy to administer. It is also a constitutional rule”. Not to mention, numerous birthright citizens greatly contribute to American society by serving in our military and in public office. And as far as the claim goes for lessening or even stopping illegal immigration, changing the current rule would make even more people illegal immigrants.

Congress should end birthright citizenship
According to this article, “Birthright citizenship made sense for a frontier country with open borders; newly freed slaves; and a small, remote bureaucracy”. But it does not make sense for the country we live in today. By ending birthright citizenship the U.S could grant citizenship to children born to foreign citizens “who have legally resided in the country for a predetermined number of years”. Birthright citizenship rewards lawbreakers. When the children benefitting from birthright citizenship grow older, they “can sponsor family members for authorized migration, they function as border-spanning bridges over which a retinue of relatives may trod. These relatives, once naturalized, can in turn sponsor aunts and uncles and cousins without end.” But in order to get rid of birthright citizenship the fourteenth amendment must be amended. Thus, the need for a constitutional amendment is dire.

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