Essay Question: Should children of illegal immigrants, who have their babies in the United States, be considered legal U.S. citizens?
SOURCE #1:
October 2
USA Today News Article
Raul, Reyes. "Not very American: 'Illegal by birth'." USA Today n.d.: Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 2 Oct. 2011.
This article begins by stating that “some top Republicans have called for a review of the constitutional guarantee that anyone born in the USA is a citizen”. This is controversial because they say it encourages illegal immigration.
-Good information, it shows one perspective of the controversy with its opinion.
"If both parents are here illegally, should there be a reward for their illegal behavior?"
-Good quote I can use as one opinion/problem with illegal immigrants having babies who are then considered legal citizens.
"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."
-Quotation from the 14th Amendment is important because it shows history’s views on immigration and how people are trying to change that.
The next part talks about democracy and discrimination of parents (US citizens VS foreigners). “If we were to end birthright citizenship, we would have two classes of children, both born on American soil. The only difference would be who their parents were – which doesn’t strike me as very democratic.”
-Important because it discusses discrimination which can be an influential point in my essay.
The next section introduces the phrase “anchor babies”, basically meaning “undocumented workers having children here to ‘anchor’ their family in the U.S. In truth, having a U.S.-born child is no protection from deportation.
-Introduces the name “anchor babies” and it’s important because this idea is the main focus in my essay.
The final part discusses the likelihood of ending birthright citizenship and also how it would effect our undocumented population.
-Important for the outcome of this controversy and if anything will actually happen to change immigration/citizenship laws.
SUMMARY:
I found this article really useful even though it only portrays one view of “anchor babies” and birthright citizenship. It mostly just talks about the negative view of illegal immigrants having babies in the U.S. who consequently become citizens. It focuses on the people who disagree with this and feel that there should be a revision to amend the citizenship aspect of the 14th amendment/constitution.
SOURCE #2:
October 2
New York Amsterdam News Article
Persaud, Felicia. "And so the madness begins." New York Amsterdam News 102.2 (2011): 14-34. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 3 Oct. 2011.
First section talks about Republican Steve King’s Birthright Citizenship Act of 2011 that “would require that at least one parent be a U.S. citizen or legal permanent resident for the newborn baby to receive automatic citizenship.”
-Important because it is one solution to the opposing views of “anchor babies” and so-called illegal immigration problems.
The next part discusses King’s opinion that the “anchor babies” are a result of a misapplication of the Constitution’s clause and “creates incentive for illegal aliens to cross our border.”
-I agree with the point that it creates incentive for people to illegally immigrate.
Later, the article talks about opposing views of his citizenship act as “the largest national Latino civil rights and advocacy organization in the United States, said it best when it called the proposal ‘inflammatory, impractical, and immoral.”
- Important for my essay because it shows the other side of the controversy and how people of other nationalities feel about the proposal.
“These thoughtless and unnecessary proposals take our country in the wrong direction, away from inclusion and our other core American values. The citizenship clause is a bedrock principle of civil rights and part of what makes us all Americans. Never in our nation’s history have we amended to the Constitution to take away someone’s rights, and we should not do so now.” –Janet Murguía, NCLR president and CEO.
-Really important quotation from the opposing side of the proposal, states really good points as to why we shouldn’t pass the act.
SUMMARY:
Overall, this article was really useful. It acknowledges the Republican’s Birthright Citizenship Act and explains what it would do for U.S. citizenship as well as points out the other point of view. By including the viewpoint of the national Latino civil rights and advocacy organization in the United States, it shows the other side of the controversy, which is important for every influential essay.
No comments:
Post a Comment