Tip-of-the-Hat: Vitter, Paul offer Anchor Baby Reforms

The 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments to the Constitution were ratified in the immediate aftermath of the Civil War. The 13th Amendment abolished slavery. The 15th guaranteed voting rights regardless of race. Neither created any controversy or confusion.

However, tortured interpretations and a liberal social agenda regarding immigration have made the 14th Amendment a source of increasing turmoil. Senators David Vitter (R-LA) and Rand Paul (R-KY) are proposing legislation to settle the controversy.

Often referred to as the "Anchor Baby" or "Birthright" Amendment, Section 1 reads in part, "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." Any objective study of the circumstances and history precipitating the drafting and ratification of this Amendment leads to the clear conclusion that the intent was to grant citizenship to the former slaves and children of slaves, period.

That narrow purpose, however, has been warped with the passage of time, and activist courts and politicians have tortured the language to grant citizenship to any child who was fortunate enough to be born on American soil, whether to legal residents of the U.S. or not. Thus, scores of offspring of illegal immigrants owe their American citizenship to good fortune and a willing disregard for the true intention of the 14th Amendment.

Section 5 of the Amendment grants that, "The Congress shall have power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article." In the book, A Return to Values, A Line of Sight's editor-in-chief Bob Beauprez wrote that, "I am among those who believe this section grants Congress authority to change the application of the critical Section 1 birthright privileges. Congress needs to do exactly that." Vitter and Paul are taking that initiative.

The resolution introduced by the two Republican Senators would amend the Constitution and clarify that a person "born in the United States to illegal aliens does not automatically gain citizenship unless at least one parent is a legal citizen, legal immigrant, active member of the Armed Forces or a naturalized legal citizen."

"For too long, our nation has seen an influx of illegal aliens entering our country at an escalating rate, and chain migration is a major contributor to this rapid increase – which is only compounded when the children of illegal aliens born in the U.S. are granted automatic citizenship," said Sen. Vitter. "Closing this loophole will not prevent them from becoming citizens, but will ensure that they have to go through the same process as anyone else who wants to become an American citizen."

"Citizenship is a privilege, and only those who respect our immigration laws should be allowed to enjoy its benefits," said Sen. Paul. "This legislation makes it necessary that everyone follow the rules, and goes through same process to become a U.S. citizen."

Since the Majority Leader of the Senate Harry Reid publicly supports amnesty for the millions in the U.S. illegally, Vitter and Paul's legislation is not likely to see the light of day in this Congress, and Barack Obama certainly wouldn't sign off their idea. But, with a Presidential election and the chance for a shift to Republican control of the Senate in 2012, action on their idea could be as close as election night results.

For their efforts to clarify the original intent of the 14th Amendment and use a little common-sense, Vitter and Paul have been branded as "about as blatantly racist as you can get."

We think the Senators are standing up for the Rule of Law and the Divinely inspired principle that "all men are created equal," and so we offer them our Tip-of-the-Hat for the month of April.