The Right to be a U.S. Citizen or an Alien

I decided to discuss the challenges and debates that have been slumming Congress forever now and the people who have to deal and struggle with the issue of being a U.S. citizen. The constitution has its laws set in stone for reasons that we people now-a-days seem to forget or disregard. Now, that doesn't mean that modifications and amendments can't be made, but it doesn't mean that the government working for the higher, working class can change anything they want to just because they think it to be right either.

The U.S. Constitution, the 14th Amendment to be exact, has been igniting a big issue for Republican representatives. Where the 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," where the republicans feel that it should rather be modified to a more specific, limited citizenship to "children born with at least one parent who is a legal citizen, by birth or naturalized; a lawful resident, or an active member of the Armed Forces." Now, because this is an opinionated take on this issue, I personally think its just another reason for Republicans to control and dominate the "people" of whom can reside in their states, hometowns, and "limit" the problems of Aliens in America. I think its ridiculous and absolutely contradicts the constitution, which in hand, it literally does as stated in the modification of the amendment.

Now, it doesn't mean I don't understand their reasons and concerns for doing this, but it just defeats the purpose of America being the "Land of the Free" and/or the land of opportunities. Yes, I understand there is an increasing problem with "aliens" residing in America and America is being over-populated with more people than we can count, but it is an small number of people who we are depriving of such "great opportunities" that America has to offer. Yes, I understand that it is illegal for aliens to be residing on U.S. soil for it is costly and wrong on those who are "legal U.S. citizens", but it does not mean to deprive and take away the same rights that every other American has who was either born on American land, born to parents with U.S. citizenship, or those who have passed the naturalization process, who was born on U.S. land, just because their parents are aliens. This law was made for a particular reason and should not be changed to Republican needs and standards (Sens. Rand Paul, R-Kentucky; David Vitter, R-Louisiana, and Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa). The amendment was initiated in fact by the Republican Party after the Civil War, in the act of ending slavery, where there was equal protection and the right to vote guaranteed for all Americans. Changing it now during a time of "economic crisis" and more issues that ever before it seems like, is unruly and not needed. There of course should be modifications to rights of Aliens and non-US citizens, but persons born on U.S. soil are and should be considered U.S. citizens.

Representative Honda explains just how costly it would be with these new implications, to have tens of thousands of people struggle to define their nationality and statuses, causing our GDP to decrease by $2.6 trillion in the next 10yrs. However, he also mentions that if there are modifications made to embrace immigration reform, to fix the loop-holes, and secure the border lines of U.S. citizens and aliens, US GDP could increase by $1.5 trillion in the next 10 years. Yes, these are long-term changes and no one wants to wait, always expecting the "instant satisfaction" but this is how the government works.

Being a House Page back in the day and realizing just how complex our system is, so that laws like this can't be passed or laws that are necessary can't be passed because of biased politicians, is something all Americans need to understand. Despite that however, I'd just like to state again that no matter how complex the debate will always be, I believe persons born on U.S. land should be and are U.S. citizens, despite their time or their parents time in the US.

The article I referred to and gathered information from.

http://articles.cnn.com/2011-02-15/opinion/honda.birthright.citizenship_1_birthright-citizenship-drive-immigrants-limit-citizenship?_s=PM:OPINION