Letter to the editor: Amendment interpretation important

Published 9:31 am Friday, September 13, 2024

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To the editor:

Concerning Gaye Schooler’s letter on the upcoming constitutional amendment, the writer is indeed pointing our attention in the right direction. We need to keep exacting tests on citizenship and not reduce any weight that could legally be afforded against the current misinterpretation of the 14th Amendment’s “subject to the jurisdiction” clause.

Without overly articulating the issue here, refer to Hans A. von Spakovsky’s article “Birthright Citizenship: A Fundamental Misunderstanding of the 14th Amendment (The Heritage Foundation, 30 Oct 2018) at https://www.heritage.org/immigration/commentary/birthright-citizenship-fundamental-misunderstanding-the-14th-amendment.

All the salient points are made. To make a long story short, the 14th Amendment does not (as proven by court cases) make a child born to an illegal alien (also known euphemistically as an undocumented immigrant) a citizen. Point in case: if the child of a legally present diplomat is not automatically a citizen, how can the child of a person illegally present be so?

This is the bone and sinew of the anchor baby imbroglio, and the issue as presented by the judicial record cited by Spakovsky needs to be finished once and for all. This is more important than ever given the current border invasion (helped by the current administration at the southern border and by airlift).

Why? You can bet that the millions with a future court date (don’t hold your breath on their appearing for adjudication) will be procreating as fast as possible to create the anchor claim (YouTube video exists with an illegal holding up a baby and declaring the child his protection from deportation).

Then, in just four or five short election cycles from today there will be a tsunami wave of anchor babies voting. And after years of government programs and handouts implemented by a certain party, you can make book on the result.

As part of the mitigation to the disparate impacts created by illegal immigration, our elected representation needs to cement the original intent of the 14th Amendment, and sooner than later.

William Vaughan

Mocksville