Poll: Voters split on immigrants' U.S.-born children

by Ronald J. Hansen - Jul. 30, 2010 12:00 AM
The Arizona Republic
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Arizonans are evenly divided about denying automatic citizenship to children who are born in the state but whose parents aren't U.S. citizens, an Arizona Republic poll indicates.

Forty-five percent of respondents said they would support a state law to deny automatic citizenship to such children. Forty-four percent said they would oppose such a measure. The rest were undecided or had no opinion. Registered voters supported the proposal, 46 percent to 42 percent.

Among 10 questions asked in the Republic poll about Senate Bill 1070 and related issues, none had a margin as narrow as the one about denying citizenship to non-U.S. citizens' children.

State Sen. Russell Pearce, R-Mesa, has said he intends to pursue a citizenship bill in next year's legislative session. It is not yet clear what such a bill would say or how it would take effect.

On Wednesday night, after a federal judge blocked key parts of SB 1070, U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said he may seek a constitutional amendment on the automatic-citizenship issue.

"Birthright citizenship, I think, is a mistake," he told the Fox News Channel. "We should change our Constitution and say, 'If you come here illegally, and you have a child, that child's automatically not a citizen.' "

Previous bills in Congress to change the law have failed. But a new state or national proposal could extend the fiery political and legal battles over illegal immigration.

The telephone poll of 616 Arizona adults was conducted by WestGroup Research of Phoenix and has a margin of error of 3.89 percentage points. The poll, taken between June 30 and July 12, indicated that most Arizonans generally supported SB 1070 and other immigration-control measures.

The practice of granting automatic citizenship to children born in the U.S., regardless of their parents' legal status, has been established in law since the 1860s. Debate over the policy has intensified along with disputes over immigration and border control.

Proponents of denying citizenship often refer to the children as "anchor babies," saying the children's citizenship can help illegal-immigrant families eventually become legalized and help them obtain taxpayer-funded benefits.

Opponents point to the 14th Amendment, which grew out of the Civil War and guarantees citizenship to "all persons born or naturalized in the United States."

Both sides wrangle over a 14th Amendment clause that ties the citizenship guarantee to those who are "subject to the jurisdiction" of the United States. Proponents say the phrase suggests it is possible for states to limit citizenship rights for those who aren't legal U.S. citizens. Opponents say the caveat was intended for children of diplomats, not foreigners in general.

Phoenix resident Ed Sutton III, 27, supports the idea and sees it as an issue of fairness.

"People come here . . . to anchor their family. It's trying to give a benefit to lawbreakers," Sutton, a Republican, said of the current system.

Don Goffena of Camp Verde said he understands concerns like those raised by Sutton but sees the proposal as mean-spirited.

"Why would we be wasting our time with that?" the 57-year-old independent voter said. "This whole thing has a punishment aspect to it."

Views on the citizenship proposal largely mirror opinions on SB 1070.

People polled who support SB 1070 overwhelmingly support the citizenship measure as well, 64 percent to 23 percent. Opponents of SB 1070 were more solidly against the citizenship issue, 76 percent to 18 percent.

Maricopa County respondents oppose it by a narrow margin, but elsewhere around the state, the proposal found comfortable support.

More than half of Republicans polled supported eliminating automatic citizenship while more than half of Democrats opposed it. Independent voters supported the proposal 49 percent to 41 percent.

Nearly three-fourths of Hispanics opposed the proposal, though the margin of error for that smaller group is 7.13 percentage points.


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