SALT LAKE CITY --

"Days after a resolution was introduced to the U.S. Senate that would deny citizenship to U.S.-born children of illegal immigrants, the University of Utah Law school hosted a debate to explore whether the 14th Amendment should be changed.

Both Peter Schuck, a law professor at Yale University, and Margaret Stock, an Alaskan attorney and adjunct professor at the University Alaska Anchorage, said immigration reform is needed, but Stock argued strongly against changes to the 14th Amendment.

"I think Congress needs to fix the immigration laws and enforce them, not change the Constitution," Stock said.


Under the resolution proposed by Sens. Rand Paul, R-Ky., and David Vitter, R-La., citizenship would be denied to U.S.-born children of refugees, asylum residents, American Samoan U.S. nationals serving in the military and illegal immigrants.

"I assume they just made some drafting errors," Stock joked.

Denying citizenship to children born to illegal immigrants would create a bureaucratic nightmare by augmenting the number of illegal immigrants, Stock said.

For example, if the 14th Amendment was changed, a child born to a mother a few hours before she was scheduled to naturalize would not be considered a U.S. citizen, Stock added.

About 8 percent of military recruits are birthright citizens, or citizens born to illegal immigrants, Stock said. Changing the 14th Amendment would mean those recruits would no longer be eligible for military service, and many more would no longer be eligible for a draft."

Source:
http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=14213612