Thread: House stalls vote on automatic citizenship

http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/13424821.htm

Posted on Fri, Dec. 16, 2005

House stalls vote on automatic citizenship

By Dave Montgomery
Star-Telegram Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON -- House leaders on Friday sidestepped a confrontation over the issue of granting automatic citizenship to the children of illegal immigrants as they worked toward a vote on legislation toughening controls of the country’s borders.

House members worked into their second day on the bill after the rules committee, the chamber’s clearing house for amendments, refused to allow consideration of a proposal that would prohibit children born to illegal immigrants from automatically becoming U.S. citizens.

At least 80 House members from 26 states co-sponsored a measure by Rep. Nathan Deal, R-Georgia, that would allow birthright citizenship only to U.S. citizens or permanent legal residents who hold a green card.

Deal’s staff said the lawmaker would continue to press the issue early next year after Congress returns from the holiday recess. Eleven Texans are co-sponsors, including Reps. Michael Burgess of Flower Mound, Kenny Marchant of Coppell, Sam Johnson of Plano and Pete Sessions of Dallas.

The 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution bestows citizenship to "all persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof." But a growing number of Republicans argue that the birthright should be restricted in light of social and economic strains caused by the presence of millions of illegal immigrants.

Nearly three-fourths of the births at John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth this year were to mothers apparently living in the country illegally, according to statistics released by the hospital this week. Other border-state hospitals reflect similar patterns.

Congress’ first full-scale debate on immigration exposed deep divisions over the issue, reflecting conflicting attitudes across the country. An estimated 11 million immigrants are believed to be in the United States, including at least 1.4 million in Texas.

The rules committee also refused to allow consideration of guest worker plans pushed by President Bush and others. Business groups and immigrant advocacy groups say a guest program is essential to ensure a steady flow of immigrant labor into the United States and give workers full legal protections.

Democrats and moderate Republicans are united in their support of the concept, but conservative Republicans have vowed to scuttle any immigration bill that includes a guest worker plan, which they consider a form of amnesty that rewards illegal behavior.

``Today is not a red-letter day for this great and storied institution,’’ said Rep. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., a House co-sponsor of one of several Senate bills that includes a guest worker program. He urged the Senate to ``act with the maturity that we lack’’ and enact a guest worker plan.

The Senate is expected to deal with immigration in February. A compromise measure would ultimately be pieced together by negotiators from both chambers, with no guarantee of final passage during the politically turbulent 2006 election year.

The 169-page House bill, sponsored by House Judiciary Chairman James Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., and Homeland Security Chairman Peter King., R-N.Y., imposes increased penalties on employers and would require bosses to screen applicant’s eligibility through a nationwide data bank.

It would also make illegal presence in the United States, now a civil penalty, a criminal offense, but Sensenbrenner agreed an administration request to soften potential punishment to a maximum six months in jail.

The measure also includes an array of border protections that House members further toughened with an amendment calling for the construction of 700 miles of double-fencing in five sections along the U.S.-Mexican border, including portions of Texas.

Dang! I've been waiting all day (away from news!) to find out what happened with the jackpot baby provision. They just had to slime out of it! Who is head of the rules committee? Is that Dryer? We need to hit them hard over this one.