Thread: GOP-led bill is anti-immigration

The following opinion is out of the FresnoBee. Notice how they twist the bill to make it an anti-immigration theme. If you have some time, please pass on your sentiments to Ray Steele of the FresnoBee.

GOP-led bill is anti-immigration
09/20/07 04:32:25

From its beginnings as a nation, the United States differed from Europe in its citizenship policies, welcoming all those born on U.S. territory as U.S. citizens.

Now Rep. Dan Lungren of California and 89 other Republican members of Congress want to end the tradition of birthright citizenship.

Eleven of 19 Republicans in the California congressional delegation have signed on to sponsor a terrible bill (HR 1940) that would move the United States toward becoming a restrictionist nation of descent based on parentage.

In practical terms, if this notion passed, no longer could people born in the United States simply show a birth certificate to prove their citizenship.

Want a driver's license or a U.S. passport? You would not only need to dig up your birth certificate but the birth certificate, citizenship papers, green card or proof of active military service of at least one parent.

A new bureaucracy would be necessary for determining the validity of a parent's citizenship.

Why would so-called "small government" conservatives want that result?

Worse, the Lungren bill would produce generations upon generations of stateless people, born in the United States, never having lived in any other country. They would have none of the obligations and rights of U.S. citizenship -- Americans in fact but not in law.

HR 1940 is an attempt to overturn the Anglo-American common law principle, going back to 1608, of birthright citizenship for all people born here.

It would repeal a key part of the 14th Amendment, ratified in 1868, which confirmed that principle: "All persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States."

Lungren claims that babies born of foreign parents who have not sworn allegiance to the United States aren't subject to U.S. jurisdiction, a non sequitur. Children born here are subject to U.S. laws. Their allegiance comes with birth and upbringing here, not their parents' allegiance.

And rather than treat children born here alike, building from birth the ties of citizenship, some children would be considered outliers, a repugnant notion that goes against U.S. core values.

It is in our country's interest to assure that all children born here forge close, enduring attachments and loyalties to this country. To that end, all children born in the United States should continue to be treated equally under our laws.

With this bill, Lungren and his 89 colleagues are taking the Republican Party over a cliff. California, on the frontlines of immigration issues, needs a Republican Party that can offer constructive solutions for the nation -- not serve up legislation that only stokes the fires of anti-immigration sentiment.
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http://www.fresnobee.com/opinion/story/143515.html

"You would not only need to dig up your birth certificate but the birth certificate, citizenship papers, green card or proof of active military service of at least one parent."

OMG, WHAT A CROCK OF DODO THAT STATEMENT IS. I cannot believe that ANYONE with an iota of common sense would fall for it.

I like the bill.Im all for it.

Rock on, get this bill moving along..

I really enjoyed reading the comments to this editorial. All comments want this to pass wholeheartedly. So far. Doubt it will change the authors opinion, but at least he knows we American citizens aren't buying what he is selling.

Another one of their opinions. Interesting responses.

Congress must address immigration reform
Current broken program is no longer acceptable.
09/16/07 04:49:29

The nation's illegal immigration problem won't be solved by lawmakers who act like demagogues on the issue when they talk to constituents at home and then do nothing when they have a chance to make improvements in Congress. This problem won't go away by ignoring it.

The only solution is for the House and Senate to pass a comprehensive immigration reform measure that considers the many political realities that so far have blocked reform.

This won't be easy, because immigration is a divisive issue that has so many complex pieces. A legislative solution will never be perfect, and there must be a willingness to accept that reality. But if Congress is willing to compromise, progress can be made on this issue, and that would make the nation stronger.

Any immigration reform measure should have some basic tenets: stronger border security; a fair guest-worker program that provides industries a reliable labor pool; an opportunity for those already here to earn legal residency. They don't deserve to move ahead of those already waiting in line, but they should have a chance to get in that line if they meet strict requirements. That's not amnesty. That's fairness.

Congress had the opportunity earlier this summer to pass a bipartisan compromise that was supported by President Bush. But it fell apart in the Senate, leaving the nation with the current broken program. That lack of action gave us a de facto amnesty program for those here illegally and continued our weak-border policy.

Now the Bush administration is pushing a heavy-handed enforcement crackdown that will never solve the problem by itself. Rounding up every illegal worker is impractical because of the sheer number who are here as a result of our failed immigration policy.

Agriculture in the San Joaquin Valley needs these workers. So do other industries, including hotels, restaurants and construction. It makes so much more sense to have an immigration policy that controls our borders and ensures that industries that need it have an adequate labor supply. That would protect our security and protect our economy.

There is a bill -- the so-called AgJOBS bill -- that would grant legal U.S. residency to 1.5 million immigrant farmworkers now here illegally. It also would streamline an existing guest-worker program. That would help Valley farmers, whose crops are threatened at every harvest because of a lack of workers.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein is trying to get the measure passed by attaching it to other legislation. She said that without the bill, a shortage of workers could severely damage the U.S. agricultural industry. The immigration crackdown by the Bush administration has worsened the farm labor crisis.

The best solution is a comprehensive reform of the nation's immigration policies. Congress must be willing to take this issue on and see it through, even though many of their constituents may complain about various parts of a compromise bill.

Too many Americans want simple solutions to illegal immigration, and too few members of Congress are willing to stand up to their constituents on this issue. This is the time for leadership. Doing the right thing is not always the popular thing.

Congress must be willing to reach a bipartisan compromise on immigration reform. If our leaders in Washington can't do that, the illegal immigration problem will only worsen.
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http://www.fresnobee.com/opinion/story/140014.html