Made in America, But Not American?
Bill In Congress Aims At Taking Away Birthright Citizenship
Story
by Anonymous
I never thought I would see it, but America has hit rock bottom in the immigration debate.  Called the Citizenship Reform Act, the bill currently in Congress would take away the citizenship that comes automatically from being born in this country. As a son of an undocumented immigrant who is a citizen since I was born here, I feel very insulted by the politicians who are backing it, who are just trying to get a vote from a cheap shot. I know the power that citizenship gives me, and I know first hand what taking it away would mean to a generation of children of immigrants.
The whole bill is un-American, it goes against the 14th amendment that says, ÒAll persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States.Ó It was made to protect freed slaves. Now, it feels like immigrants are America's new slave class. The bill is based on the belief that undocumented immigrants came to take jobs or that they have an evil plan of having babies, so that way they can become citizens when their babies become 21. This may sound very irrational, but a lot a people share the same opinion, to the point where they have even given the process a name - the baby anchor plan.
There is something strange about families in which some members are "illegal" and others are not. I didn't realize I had a different status from my mother until the first time we were coming back from Mexico when I was teenager, and my mom's visa had expired just weeks prior.
When we were going through customs, some immigration lady told my mom that she could not come in, because she was a Òforeigner.Ó My mom had to stay in Mexico for a year. She entered the US again, tried to get her visa renewed and was rejected. So, now her status is in undocumented limbo -- she has her own real social security number but doesn't have a green card. I had to stay with my Aunt and Uncle for months, not knowing if my mom would make it back. Not having papers can rip families apart.
For those who say that immigrants, if no longer automatically citizens, to just go through the process, well, they have no idea how long and expensive that process can be. In fact, a few months after my grandmother had died, we got a letter that her long awaited naturalization application had been accepted. In death, she was finally American.
I can also imagine how my life would be if I was not a citizen. I would be like other members of my family, and friends, who can't get a good job, or a driver's license, or financial aid for school. For sure I will be not able to express my self like I will like to. When you are a citizen and you don't agree with the system, you are a ÒliberalÓ but when you are an immigrant and you don't agree you, you are a Òterrorist.Ó
If they stripped my citizenship, I know I would not have my job now that gives me medical and dental benefits, plus has a 401K plan. I know I would have to work my all life because retirement, would not be an option. My dream of becoming a graphic designer would be crushed, since I would not be able to get any type of financial aid for school, nor be able to be hired by major companies. I would not have a credit history, so that means no future house or nice car and credit cards will be off limits. I would may be at the mercy of a bad employer who would try to hustle me. It is these essential things Ð jobs, house, a future Ð that is the American way of living, and that would be taken from me if they took away my citizenship.
But even if they took away my documentation, I am American. My mom is an example of this. She is always sending money to the war veterans, to cancer foundations and is a hard working woman. She even likes playing Texas hold em'. She works 20 hours a day, seven days a week, and much of the money she makes she saves try to pay her immigration lawyer. She is trying to get her citizenship.
This bill act is just a way to create hysteria and fear. It is like one of those bad horror movies from the 50's, except it changes the evil space aliens with evil immigrant aliens. The fear, even if based on racism, is ironic since this country, that is now supposedly protecting people from immigrants, was built, and is still held up, by immigrants.
Comments On This Story:
Message From: Angie, Sun, 3 Jun 2007 8:28 PM
I'm an "anchor" baby and my family has done a lot. They have gone through so much so that we could have a better life. I had to endure some of it. People don't know how horrible it feels to go through
that. It's a stupid Reform Act. I mean, everyone has come from a different country. America was founded by "illegals" to the country. If you were to deport everyone that is an illegal or was. Where would we be? America depends so much on immigrants. They just don't notice it! I'm sick and tired of people not noticing these things. These small little "insignificant" things that can completely destroy the world that "real" Americans live in. They should just wise up and look at the ways their lives would change. If they were to look around, they would see many Latinos and Latinas. When they look
around, they should notice what they do for them. How they help them. AMERICA WAS BUILT ON THE BACKS OF IMMIGRANTS.
Message From: maria flores, Friday, January 26, 2007 2:21 AM
My parents came here legally, but many of my cousins and friends are not here legally...I am mexican, but I agree that mexicans need to learn english and not expect the us to adapt to them. Message From: don (newmachal@aol.com), Wednesday, September 20, 2006 5:35 PM
we have so many illegal aliens you can barely breath.We must drive them out now.......
Message From: Yanel (elsadvalle129@hotmail.com), April 3, 2006 3:22 PM
immigrants are not terrosirts thwy are hard working people :(
Message From: sandra (www.sandramtz64@yahoo.com), April 3, 2006 8:50 AM i do not agree with this retarded law
Message From: ana, March 24, 2006 10:29 AM
okay anyone that has a problem with illegal immigrants should be taken to some foreign country so that they can see what it is like to be an illegal immigrant because all that these people want is a better life for their children! so i really want to see what all of them would do in that situation it is an extremely hard life in it's own and passing this bill would just make it worse and it would just add
more illegal immigrants to this country incase you guys hadn't thought of that! so screw you all!
Message From: Jean Brown Harrell, formerly Garcia (JeanBrownHarrell@netscape.net), March 7, 2006 11:22 PM
Anchor babies are NOT U.S. citizens. The 14th Amendment PROHIBITS giving U.S. citizenship to illegal-alien anchor babies of illegal aliens that are born on U.S. soil. The authors of the 14th Amendment stated that it would NOT apply to "foreigners, aliens" but would apply to other persons. They further stated that the phrase "subject to the jurisdiction thereof" only applied to a person who owed NO allegiance whatsoever to any foreign government, and who owed 100% allegiance to the U.S. government. The Congress confirmed this interpretation of the 14th Amendment when it voted to approve it and the states also. The ONLY person who would owe 100% allegiance to the U.S. government would be a U.S. citizen, either naturalized as a U.S. citizen or born to a U.S. citizen parent. It might possibly be stretched to include the U.S.-born child of a LEGAL permanent resident in the process of becoming a naturalized U.S. citizen, but it is beyond dispute that it never applied to illegal-alien anchor babies of illegal aliens who are born on U.S. soil. It is unmistakably clear and beyond dispute if you do your proper research on the Congress' records of the Congress' vote on the 14th Amendment. It has been illegally and unconstitutionally twisted to give illegal and unconstitutional,phony "U.S. citizenship" to illegal-alien anchor babies of illegal aliens who are born on U.S. soil. For decades after the 14th Amendment was passed into law, it was interpreted to apply ONLY to U.S.-born children of U.S. citizens and NOT to illegal-alien anchor babies.The U.S. Supreme Court needs to rule on this issue, but someone needs to inform them of the Senate debate on the
14th Amendment and the records of the words of the authors and others on the 14th Amendment. Someone needs to bring a class-action lawsuit all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court to clear up this
matter.I used to be married to a former-illegal alien from Mexico and I was a farmworker for half my life and I am at least 37.5% American Indian: Cherokee and Blackfoot mixed. Also my white
ancestors came to America in 1621 and my family has been here ever since then.
Message From: Suely (suneves@hotmail.com), March 4, 2006 2:33 PM Thank you for posting this information. It's good to know this and I will look further into it. It will be even more interesting to see how much impact this new act, if passed, will have on the number of immigrants getting deportated. This will have a huge impact on my community here in Boston, Massachusetts.
Message From: Ms. Randi Scott (Zorro-R@webtv.net), February 28, 2006 2:09 PM
Mexican immigrants come here and expect US to adapt to THEM: MANY NEVER learn English. I have to pay higher phone bills so AT&T can hire Spanish speaking operators. I have to pay higer prices for everything that has a Spanish translation. IF these aliens want to come here, they should be required to speak English.
Message From: robert, February 28, 2006 9:54 AM
Sorry but no other country offers citezenship to illegal immigrants children. it was in place for the children of slaves who did not willingly come to the usa. that was fair, this situatiuon has been taken advantage of for far too long. you should be ashamed. if it were canadians abusing the system every mexican would be on board with the new changes as well. The wall needs to be built becuase the
people from the souht do not respect the laws of this country. You do not see canadians dis resecting this countries laws and so there is no wall on that side of the country. Stop using the who is me thing,
mexico needs to take care of its people, not the the usa. And california was won, and obviously lost by mexico. live with it crybabies. People did not mind when the numbers of illegals was more balnced, but it is out of control now.
Message From: Christopher Patrick Nelson, February 20, 2006 4:36 PM The U.S. is occupied Native American land, but quite apart from that, multinatural corporations force Mexicans to come here or die.
Message From: Unknown, February 20, 2006 12:35 AM Have you heard of the wall that bush want to do? Right across the boarder of Mexico and USA. People call it the wall of shame.
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