Rep. Steve King Introduces House Bill to Close Up Anchor Baby Loophole

Our current policy of granting automatic U.S. citizenship to children of illegal aliens is insane [1], and ought to be stopped.

Representative Steve King (R-Iowa), who has an A+ rating [2] from Numbers USA, has introduced a bill to stop it, H.R. 140. The bill's purpose is "To amend section 301 of the Immigration and Nationality Act to clarify those classes of individuals born in the United States who are nationals and citizens of the United States at birth." (See Bill Summary & Status here [3]).

According to the Des Moines Register

U.S. Rep. Steve King, a Republican who represents Iowa’s new 4th District in northwest Iowa, has begun 113th Congress by proposing federal legislation to halt immigrant “anchor babies” from automatically becoming United States citizens simply because their mothers give birth in this nation’s hospitals.

The term “anchor babies [4]” is considered derogatory by immigration activists, while critics of federal immigration policies contend such children are routinely born here with the goal of improving the chances of the mother and other relatives of eventually securing citizenship.

King’s introduced a bill last week, H.R. 140, the “Birthright Citizenship Act of 2013,” in an effort to address the issue. Although some Republicans are calling for a softening of the GOP’s stance on immigration with a goal of providing a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, King has steadfastly opposed what he terms “amnesty” for people who violate the nation’s immigration laws.

“We need a common sense solution to fix the flawed interpretation of the Constitution’s citizenship clause, and ‘The Birthright Citizenship Act of 2013′ does just that,” King said in a prepared statement. “The current practice of extending U.S. citizenship to hundreds of thousands of ‘anchor babies’ must end because it creates a magnet for illegal immigration into our country. Now is the time to ensure that the laws in this country do not encourage law breaking.”...

Rep. Steve King proposes status restrictions for immigrant births [5] William Petroskey, Des Moines Register, January 7th, 2013

The bill currently has 13 co-sponsors, click here [6] for the list. Numbers USA has a handy page here [7] to contact your congressman.