In yet another waste of their own time, and ours (seriously, have these people heard of the unemployment crisis or what?), some eager lawmakers took to the National Press Club in DC today to unveil a fresh attack on immigrants, this time dragging the US Constitution down into the dirt with them. The 14th Amendment, which guarantees that kids who are born in America are American citizens (something we all take for granted with our children), is their target.
It would be a logistical and bureaucratic nightmare of epic proportions, requiring a bigger government (I am sure the tea partiers would LOVE that!) to manage it, and folks to dig up proof of grandpa’s citizenship (my great-grandmother was Cherokee, do you think they would count that?), yet this scary proposal does little to address what Americans are really asking for: sensible immigration reform.
Immigration reform, you’ve heard of it… a real plan to value the economic and social contributions of immigrants, helping to preserve the unique cultures they bring to the melting pot while at the same time helping them assimilate, learn English, pay taxes, and become citizens. Other than riling up some anti-brown people hatred, what is the goal of this proposal? All we’re doing here is distracting lawmakers from existing, constructive ideas for reform and improvement of our immigration system.
While the idea probably doesn’t stand a chance of getting the 2/3 majority in Congress required to alter the Constitution (despite the popularity of racist laws like Arizona’s SB1070), it still takes away time and attention from the real issues that Americans care about… like the economy (stupid). We don’t have time for this stuff!
And now for a fun video of some activists interrupting the press conference, via ABC News. I particularly liked the woman chanting “sit down” so no one could hear the protesters speak, and then saying they, the protesters, needed to respect First Amendment rights:
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/video/activists-disrupt-immigration-press-conference-12546020
You can find information about the history and importance of the 14th Amendment via the Congressional Research Service