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Birthright Citizenship and Immigration

Immigrants contribute a great deal to the development of the country of destination. The

United States, in particular, can attest to this fact. The immigrants became useful tools of growth

in the country, and their contribution is significant. Nevertheless, some immigrants take

advantage of the situation on the ground and access the state without proper documentation. The

wave of illegal immigration continues to pose a challenge to the nation, and people think that

offering birthright citizenship to any person born on the American soil is a sure way to deal with

the problem. This paper will look at whether ending the birthright citizenship will solve the

illegal immigration problem.

The number of illegal immigrants continues to increase with time (Wood 469). As they

enter the United States, they give birth to their children who receive the citizenship status

through the birthright. The implication is that the number of illegal aliens in the country

continues to increase, and their effect on the economy expands. The fact that the immigrants

contribute a great deal to the status of the United States, ending the birthright citizenship will

help to curb the illegal immigration. It will ensure that only the legal immigrants gain access to

the country, and the illegal ones will know that they have no right to become citizens. The illegal
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immigrants pose a challenge to the political system of the nation. Stopping the birthright

citizenship will go a long way to solve this problem.

The exclusion of the birthright citizenship for the illegal and temporary immigrants will

recognize their children as unlawful aliens (Franz 185). With this notion, it will become easier

for the government to deal with the immigrants who travel to the United States without the

proper documentation. The children born in the country will live with the fact that they are not

citizens of the United States. With the notion of canceled birthright citizenship, it will be a slap

in the face of the undocumented immigrants since they know that it will not be easy for them to

stay in the country. For this reason, most of them will fear to travel to the country until they

receive the proper documents to allow them to stay in America.

The birthright citizenship entitles all people, whether aliens or not, to constitutional

protection (Kamp 51). In addition to that, they have all the rights and privileges as provided for

in the same constitution. For this reason, the children of the undocumented immigrants can freely

access social services such as education and medical care. The removal of the birthright

citizenship will prohibit the access of the social services to the non-citizens, a move that will

make their stay unbearable. No one can survive without access to the medical care, and the

children will miss the necessary education. With such a living environment, the illegal

immigrants already in the country will have to leave for their homelands. The ones

contemplating to join the country without proper documents will find it hard, especially

considering the plight of their comrades who go back home. Such moves will deter illegal

immigration and will assist the United States to deal with the problem at hand. Removing the

birthright citizenship will facilitate the controls in place, to reduce the number of aliens in the

country which stands at an alarming level.

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Illegal immigrants are a threat to the security of the nation (Graglia 4). Some of them

come from countries with a deep history of terrorism, and they take advantage of the illegal

immigration to perpetrate crimes in the state of destination. The children born to the aliens will

become a threat to the national security, especially where the parents are criminals. One of the

ways to prevent the entry of these crimes into the United States is to prevent them from obtaining

the American citizenship. Without the permission to stay in the United States, it will be difficult

for them to perform their criminal activities. In addition to that, it will be challenging for them to

avoid legal action if convicted of any crime. For this reason, the push for the abolishment of the

birthright citizenship should continue.

The argument that repealing the birthright citizenship would lead to the family break up

is a point of concern (Auvil 5). However, the illegal immigrants should seek for proper papers to

legalize their admission to the United States. At the same time, the family members already in

the country must have the legal documents to allow them to continue living there. If they lack the

correct documents, then they should leave the nation and unite with their family members

outside America. This way, none of them will gain access to the country illegally.

In conclusion, therefore, it is clear that the immigrants play a significant role in the

development of the United States. Nevertheless, the illegal immigrants pose a threat to the nation

as well. There is the need to revisit the birthright citizenship, to ensure that only the documented

immigrants get it. Since the illegal ones are many in the country, this move will help to deal with

the problem.
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Works Cited

Franz, Margaret. “Will to Love, Will to Fear: The Emotional Politics of Illegality and Citizenship

in the Campaign against Birthright Citizenship in the US:” Social Identities, vol. 21, no.

2, Mar. 2015, pp. 184-198. EBSCOhost, doi: 10.1080/13504630.2015.1041016.

Wood, Charles. “Losing Control of America’s Future- -The Census, Birthright Citizenship, and

Illegal Aliens.” Harvard Journal of Law & Public Policy, vol.22, no.2, Spring99, p. 465.

EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?

direct=true&db=bth&AN=1859029&site=ehost-live.

Kamp, Allen R. “The Birthright Citizenship Controversy: A Study of Conservative Substance and

Rhetoric.” Texas Hispanic Journal of Law & Policy, vol. 18, no. 1, Fall2012, pp. 49-79.

EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?

direct=true&db=aph&AN=87055699&site=ehost-live.

Graglia, Lino A. “Birthright Citizenship for Children of Illegal Aliens: An Irrational Public

Policy.” Texas Review of Law & Politics, vol. 14, no. 1, Fall2009, pp. 1-14. EBSCOhost,

search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx? direct=true&db=aph&AN=48307107&site=ehost-live.

Auvil, Shannon. “In Defense of Birthright Citizenship.” Depaul Journal for Social Justice, Vol.

10, no.1, Winter2017, pp.1-10. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?

direct=true&db=aph&AN=121696665&site=ehost-live.
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