State Lawmakers Draft Citizenship Laws Targeting Children of Illegal Immigrants

Lawmakers in at least 14 states anounced that they are working on legislation to deny U.S. citizenship to the children of illegal immigrants. Arizona Senator Russell Pearce said he and other lawmakers are working on a draft of their model legislation and have consulted constitutional scholars to change the 14th Amendment.
Since 2005 similar measures have been introduced in the congressional sessions, yet they have all been neglected.
It has been argued that the ammendment does not apply to the babies of illegal immigrants because such families don't owe sole allegiance to the U.S. Advocates for immigrants argue that the part of the amendment Pearce is contending clearly was meant for children of foreign diplomats who are born in the U.S.

Constitutional changes require approval by two-thirds majorities in both chambers of Congress, an impossibility now because Democrats have the majority in both houses and most oppose this measure. Even if Republicans do gain power in November and legislation is passed, an amendment would still need to be ratified by three-fourths of the states.

Pennsylvania state Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, the founder of a national group of legislators critical of illegal immigration, states that providing birthright citizenship to children of illegal immigrants is an "ongoing distortion and twisting" of the amendment.

The 14 states working on legislation are Arizona, Pennsylvania, Alabama, Delaware, Idaho, Indiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Texas and Utah.

Pearce was the chief sponsor of a 2007 state law targeting employers who knowingly hire illegal immigrants.