(Newser)
–
It's commonsense math, says the author of a new illegal immigration study: If the right to citizenship for US-born children of illegal immigrants is repealed, it's not going to deter all illegal immigrants from entering the country. But it will make the children born to those who do so illegals, instead of citizens, and that will just boost the total number of illegal immigrants here. The US would be home to almost five million illegal US-born individuals by 2050 if the birthright rule is killed, predicts the study.
A conservative analyst who favors ending birthright citizenship said while he agreed the policy would not end all illegal immigration, "it will put an end to pregnant women traveling to the US specifically for the purpose of giving birth." Opponents counter that ending birthright citizenship would create a permanent underclass as illegal status in passed down through generations, reports the Wall Street Journal.
