Changing the 14th Amendment

I recently read an article in the paper that relates the plans of a Utah representative, Paul Ray, to ask congress to change the fourteenth amendment to not allow the children of illegal immigrants to be automatic citizens of the United States. Like your average American, I have been long concerned about the issue of illegal immigration. I have considered some proposed solutions to the issue, such as increased border security and more severe punishment to illegal immigrants, but this proposal is one of the best I have heard of so far.

I have learned that one of the biggest reasons for Mexicans to come here illegally is so that when they have kids, those kids are automatically U.S. citizens and are entitled to U.S. welfare. The 14th Amendment states, “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.” The ability to have a child here and automatically get free money is an enticing loophole for someone to take advantage of. Quoted in the newspaper article mentioned earlier, Representative Ray says that in 2010, $57.3 million have been spent on Medicaid, childcare, and food stamps for the children of illegal immigrants.

Ray’s plan is to change the Fourteenth Amendment so that only children born to at least one legal citizen can be citizens themselves, which would mean deportation of those who don't meet this standard. Of course, there are already children born to illegal immigrants that have lived here all their life. It might destroy them to have to move to a country that is native to their parents, but that they may never have seen in their lives. To account for this, I would suggest that we only deport children of illegal immigrants that are born after a grace period after the 14th Amendment is changed-- ensuring that the responsibility can be placed solely upon on the parents who knew what the consequences of their actions would be. That way, it would be more of a prevention than a punishment.

As any good parent knows, prevention is always better than punishment. Anyone would rather stop his wayfaring teenager from doing something illegal than watch him be sent to jail for it. The same principle applies in gardening, a recently picked-up hobby of mine. In a garden, when I pull a weed, I pull it from the roots. I might need to moisten the ground a little, maybe use a spade, but if I can’t get the roots, the weed will just sprout right back up again. Facing the weed of illegal immigration, if we can’t hit the problem at its roots—the desire that immigrants have to come here illegally—we can’t ensure that it won’t just sprout right back up again.

Of course, there are other reasons for people to illegally come to the U.S., but we can only take it one root at a time. Perhaps it could be better compared to pulling out a tree stump, having to chop root after root to finally heave it out with a truck and a chain. Getting congress to change an amendment will not be easy, and pulling the stump of illegal immigration problem is a huge, daunting task, but I believe it will be worth it.