Group wants illegal immigrants' `anchor' citizenship removed

Excerpts:

The Alabama Federation of Republican Women wants to take away the citizenship of babies born to illegal immigrants in the United States.

Any child born on American soil is automatically a U.S. citizen under the 14th Amendment of the Constitution. To change that, a bill to amend the Constitution would have to pass by a two-thirds majority in the House and the Senate, and then be presented to the states for approval.

Those U.S.-born babies are sometimes called "anchors" for their role in securing an illegal immigrant family's stay in the country. However, the babies don't mean automatic citizenship for the parents.

"We feel this should be in the debates about illegal immigration."

Zeanah, a board member from the Tuscaloosa chapter, said the benefits afforded to the families of U.S.-born immigrant babies is "an irresistible lure" to their families, prompting many to sneak into the country. She said members are concerned that caring for those immigrant families comes at a cost to U.S. citizens in the form of health-care cuts.

Limiting citizenship would eliminate one incentive for pregnant women to come here illegally, she said.

The baby campaign began earlier this year with the Tuscaloosa chapter's yearly political research project. Its research showed an estimated 350,000 babies are born to illegal immigrant parents each year, at a cost of about $118 billion a year in government services.