Republican Senators David Vitter (Louisiana) and Rand Paul (Kentucky) on Thursday introduced a proposal in the U.S. Senate to amend the U.S. Constitution to deny citizenship to the native-born children of undocumented immigrants.
The initiative seeks to nullify the right of automatic citizenship for children born in this country, unless one of the parents is a U.S. citizen, permanent resident or active member of the U.S. Armed Forces.
This right is stipulated in the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, established in 1868 after the Civil War to ensure the citizenship of African-American slaves, and today includes every person born in the country, with the exception of children of diplomats.
It will be difficult for the bill to prosper, as it would have to be approved by two-thirds majorities in both houses of Congress, and then ratified by three-fourths of the states (38 of the 50).
Republican lawmakers in Arizona yesterday also introduced a bill that proposes to nullify the right of automatic citizenship for children of undocumented immigrants born within their state. Representative John Kavanagh and State Senator Ron Gould introduced initiatives in both Arizona legislative chambers.
Legislators in other states, including Pennsylvania, Oklahoma, Georgia, and South Carolina, among others, are pursuing similar measures.
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