Is Reichert for Repealing the 14th Amendment?
As Postman has quite thoroughly chronicled, the state Republican Party this weekend adopted an eyebrow-raising immigration policy that would deny citizenship to babies born in the United States — but only if those babies are born to illegal immigrants. Nevermind the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which states:
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.
And nevermind Hispanic voters, who the Republican party has been trying to court. Also: nevermind this state’s Republican Attorney General, Rob McKenna, who says the idea of stripping American-born babies of their citizenship is flatly unconstitutional; nevermind Republican Senate candidate Mike McGavick, who doesn’t support the idea; and nevermind that the Republicans’ leader in the state senate, Mike Hewitt of Walla Walla, says “the party over-reached on this one.” Nevermind all of this, says the state Republican Party, as it eagerly presses to strip immigrant babies of their citizenship rights.
And who else is endorsing this unconstitutional agenda? Apparently Republican Congressman Dave Reichert, who Postman queried about the issue on Sunday:
Congressman Dave Reichert told me yesterday that he is willing to consider a proposal that would end automatic citizenship for babies born here. “It makes sense to me. This is people taking advantage of the system,” he said. Reichert said that he has heard stories of pregnant Mexican women “just moments before the baby is born crossing the border and having the baby in a parking lot … then claiming they can’t leave because their baby is a citizen.”State Attorney General Rob McKenna, a Republican, said denying citizenship to babies born in the United States would be unconstitutional. Reichert said that is something “for the lawyers” to hash out. “I think that has to be part of the entire discussion that has to take place,” he said.
I have calls in to Reichert’s D.C. office and his local campaign office requesting further amplification of the Congressman’s position of immigrant babies. I’ll let you know what I hear.
Why, oh why, do they hate America and our values of Truth, Justice, and our Constitution so?