The immigration debate has progressed to the point that some Republican legislators feel the need to visit the 14TH Amendment to the Constitution for the purpose of removing the provision that states anyone born in America is a citizen. Of course, the reason is to refuse citizenship to the children of undocumented immigrants, and it is a way to further stir up the hatred for Mexicans in the United States.
The 14TH Amendment states: “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.” It clearly says that anyone born in this country is a citizen, and makes no mention of whether or not the parents have to be citizens to qualify the children as citizens.
The problem that anyone faces in wanting to change the law is that only Native Americans qualify to be citizens since they are the only group that can trace their lineage back to before the founding of this country, and indeed, before European explorers and settlers came to America. This should raise an alarm for idiots like Mitch McConnell (R-KY) who wants an investigation into the 14th Amendment.
McConnell may have been born in America, and his parents may have been born here as well, but someone in his family came to this country from another country and at some point one of his ancestors were not citizens when they gave birth themselves. If one follows the logic of the 14th Amendment deniers, then none of McConnell’s ancestors were citizens meaning he is not a citizen himself according to his argument.
It is true of just about every citizen in this country that their ancestors emigrated from a foreign land and were not citizens when they had their own offspring. It is not just Mexicans, or any particular “alien resident,” although Republican bigots pick on Mexicans because it is an election year and as part of their slash and burn Mexican campaign, they are the nationality of the moment.
In the past the Irish, Italian, German, Chinese, Japanese, and Vietnamese people have been singled out for persecution solely for political gain. It was an issue in Modesto in the 1980’s with South-East Asians, but now it is the Mexican people who are in the crosshairs.
Instead of working for immigration reform, Republicans want to “investigate” the 14TH Amendment’s citizenship clause as a ruse to gain votes. As is usually the case, as soon as the election is over the Republicans will forget the immigration debate until 2012 when another election will give them a reason to frighten white people with stories about Mexicans invading and destroying the country.
The fine Republicans never mention that undocumented workers pay in to Social Security, Medicare, Income Tax and never reap the benefits, or that they work for lower wages than their white counterparts. Republicans also don’t complain that businesses hire undocumented workers and never face penalties, but reap the benefits; and Mexican immigrants cannot do anything about it. Republicans continue to lie and show their bigotry and fear mongering toward the Mexican people by claiming they destroy America.
The only thing Mexicans will do is destroy the Republican Party because they will not forget the way the GOP bigots and fear mongers have used and abused Latinos to garner sympathy and votes from angry, bigoted, white people. Latinos will remember they are referred to as animals (for “dropping” babies), smugglers, drug runners, and invaders, and will avoid Republican bigots like the plague they really are, and it serves the GOP and Conservative hate mongers right.
