When the 14th Amendment was passed there were many that did not want the birthright citizenship as part of the amendment. It was only fair for the time that birthright citizenship for those already here be part of the US Constitution. As many claimed at the time birthright citizenship was not to go beyond covering all who were here when it passed. Activist judges have extended it further than the writers had agreed to its application when written.

There are 195 countries in the world. Only 30 countries, 15 percent, have birthright citizenship. Only one country in Asia and one country in Africa has birthright citizenship. The other 28 are all in North American and South America. Many at one point had birthright citizenship but have seen the wisdom in eliminating that from their body of laws.

A major part of out illegal immigration problem in the US is caused by our birthright citizenship laws. In addition to illegal immigration there are many women who come to the US within one or two weeks of their child’s scheduled birth to have their child in the US to attain US citizenship through our birthright citizenship laws.

For the illegal immigrants having their child in the US gives them an anchor child allowing them to remain in the US. With the anchor child and current US chain migration laws the illegal can and does get many of her family here.

It is time we change our laws to end birthright citizenship.

At the time of birth, the child’s citizenship should become the same as that of the mother. Many countries require that the child’s citizenship be that of the father. In the US there are many mothers that refuse to name the father of the child. With the mother refusing to name the father we would be in the same situation as many other countries who have chosen to require the father’s citizenship be used to determine the child’s! We would have children born with no citizenship. No citizenship would leave the child in limbo. We need a default position when not father’s name is provided the mother’s citizenship would become the child’s.

There are many in the US that want to model the US after the countries of Europe. The elimination of birthright citizenship would be a step in the direction that Europe has taken. There is no country in Europe that has outright birthright citizenship.

Ray Shamlin

Rocky Mount