How We're Citizens.

[BradVesp]

It maybe useful for everyone to recognize the marginal problem with immigration was created after passing The 14th Amendment. That's the one that lets anyone born on The U.S.A.'s soil become a citizen and so foreigners bypass official channels to immigration because birth itself defines citizenship. (As my mom or my boss told me) The 14th Amendment was passed to close the loophole preventing freed slaves from enjoying citizenship.
As near as I can tell before The Civil War the states had the biggest responsibility in determining citizenship. It'd be interesting to consider returning to that. It'd certainly add diversity to The U.S.A.. On the other hand this world is already diverse; many countries create the same result. Since we're generations away from slavery now that should be a nonissue.

 

[Bob Blaylock]

It maybe useful for everyone to recognize the marginal problem with immigration was created after passing The 14th Amendment. That's the one that lets anyone born on The U.S.A.'s soil become a citizen and so foreigners bypass official channels to immigration because birth itself defines citizenship. (As my mom or my boss told me) The 14th Amendment was passed to close the loophole preventing freed slaves from enjoying citizenship.
As near as I can tell before The Civil War the states had the biggest responsibility in determining citizenship. It'd be interesting to consider returning to that. It'd certainly add diversity to The U.S.A.. On the other hand this world is already diverse; many countries create the same result. Since we're generations away from slavery now that should be a nonissue.

Would you really want to give California the power to give citizenship to all the invaders flowing in from Mexico?

I do think that we need to change the way citizenship is granted, but it needs to be done at the federal level. It would be necessary to amend the Constitution, to override the current passage in the Fourteenth Amendment that addresses citizenship. I think that where one is born ought not have anything to do with it.

If neither of one's parents is a citizen at the time one is born, then one should not be granted citizenship, even if born on U.S. soil.

If both parents are citizens at the time one is born, then one should be a full citizen.

If only one of one's parents is a citizen, at the time one is born, than one should be a dual citizen, both of this country, and of the country of which the noncitizen parent is a citizen; but at some point not very far into adulthood, one should be required choose to renounce one of those citizenships, and be fully allegiant to the other.

I'm sure there's a lot more to it than I've thought of, but that's the basics of how I think this country should handle citizenship.

 

[BradVesp]

That seems fair.

I don't know what the citizenship test is like if you immigrate through official channels, but I think it's remarkable that there are adults who become new citizens who have to learn all about The U.S.A. to pass the test. I was born here. I'm sure I learned the same stuff in grade school, but I don't remember it well. Someone who just passed that test would make me look like a fool. Of coarse I know different things, so it'd be interesting.