Should Illegal Immigrants Be Granted Citizenship?

Why Children of Illegal Immigrants Should Be Granted Citizenship

On July 9, 1868, Congress passed the fourteenth Amendment, allowing “all persons born or naturalized in the United States” to become citizens. This concept of birthright citizenship applies to this day, even for children born to illegal immigrant parents. These children may not know any other home besides the United States, and the fourteenth amendment guarantees their right of citizenship. Some people, however, do not think that these children deserve to be granted their citizenship. Although some taxpayers believe they pay increased taxes because of the law allowing children of illegal immigrants to be granted citizenship, these children deserve to have their citizenship because

The Fourteenth Amendment was originally made to guarantee citizenship for the slaves who were recently freed by the 13th amendment. The constitution states that “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” (US Const. Amend. XIV, sec. 1). This amendment also gave birthright citizenship, also known as jus soli in Latin, to all children born in the United States, regardless of the citizenship status of their parents. The line “...and subject to the jurisdiction thereof…”, however, raises questions on this issue and provides a main argument for those against birthright citizenship. These people may insist that this line means birthright citizenship is not supported by the constitution. Nevertheless, it was upheld in the court case United States v. Wong Kim Ark (1898). Wong Kim was born in the United States to two Chinese immigrant parents, thus making him a citizen by the fourteenth amendment. Later in his life, his parents moved back to China, and when he was 21 he went to go visit them. “In 1894, when he was 21 years old, he went back to China to visit his parents again. In 1895, he attempted to re-enter the United States, but U.S. customs officials denied his entry, claiming this time that he was not a U.S. citizen” (cfrimmigrationed.org). In

While it is true that children born to illegal immigrants do increase taxes by an estimated $14,378 per household, this should be viewed as more of an investment for the future (Santana). These children will grow up as citizens of the United States and one day become workers and taxpayers themselves. Despite this, children of illegal immigrants and their parents are 27% less likely to be signed up for Medicaid and 37% less likely to receive food stamps than their native-born counterparts (Santana). Furthermore, getting rid of birthright citizenship could also increase taxes. According to The Center for American Progress, a citizenship tax may be made: “…We estimate that eliminating birthright citizenship has the potential to add a birth tax of $600 per child, to say nothing of the long periods in which children would be stuck in legal limbo, further increasing the burden on new parents” (Fulwood). Following this, these children’s illegal immigrant parents pay taxes themselves, contrary to popular belief. What’s more is that these illegal immigrants also pay into social security; even though they cannot receive its benefits. This is critical, as they pay for the social security of many baby boomers who are now retiring (Santana). In short, while taxpayers do pay for children of