Bill Seeks to Deny Citizenship Birthright

Seeking to slow illegal immigration, a California lawmaker proposed denying citizenship to U.S.-born babies of illegal immigrants. Critics of the proposal, unveiled at a House immigration subcommittee hearing by Rep. Brian P. Bilbray (R-San Diego), termed it unconstitutional and an attack on civil liberties. But Bilbray said the 131-year-old policy of automatically granting citizenship to anyone born on U.S. soil is inherently unfair to the millions who wait years for citizenship. Opponents also noted that the 14th Amendment, written after the Civil War to ensure citizenship for former slaves, guarantees citizenship to anyone born on American soil.