Illegal Mother: My Unborn Child Deserves Citizenship

Updated: Thursday, 27 Jan 2011, 10:08 PM MST
Published : Thursday, 27 Jan 2011, 9:24 PM MST

PHOENIX - Some Republican lawmakers in Arizona want to deny automatic citizenship to children born of illegal immigrants. We wanted to talk to someone who could be directly affected by this legislation. A woman who is 8 months pregnant and in the country illegally shared her story with FOX 10.

We'll call this undocumented expectant mother "Laura." She says her children deserve to be Americans, and she feels they shouldn't be penalized because she chose to cross the border illegally.

Laura says people like her have no choice but to come to America. In Mexico, there is no work, and it is dangerous.

She says every child deserves an opportunity better than that.

Laura came to the U.S. years ago by herself. She worked in hopes of becoming self-sufficient, and later fell in love. Her first-born son is 7 years old and a U.S. citizen. So is her husband.

Laura's greatest fear is to be separated from her family.

Supporters of the proposal argue that the wording of the 14th Amendment, which guarantees citizenship to people born in the U.S. who are "subject to the jurisdiction" of this country, doesn't apply to the children of illegal immigrants because such families don't owe sole allegiance to the U.S.

Opponents say the proposal is mean-spirited toward immigrants, won't make a dent in the state's immigration woes, and will be declared unconstitutional by the courts.

The proposal aims to get a court to rule that a child born in the U.S. is a citizen only if one of the parents is a U.S. citizen or a legal immigrant. That means that in Laura's case, supposing the bill does become law, her unborn daughter would be exempt -- because Laura's husband is legal.

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