Anti-immigrant Movement Renews Assault on the 14th Amendment
The U.S. House Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security, lead by a Republican majority, held a hearing on Wednesday to debate whether a clause in the 14th Amendment granting U.S citizenship to children born on U.S. soil should be scrapped.
The debate, which included from Southern Poverty Law Center President Richard Cohen, is the most recent example of a decades-long campaign by anti-immigrant groups to scrap one of America鈥檚 core Constitutional rights.
Nearly three decades ago, in 1986, white nationalist , the founder of the anti-immigrant movement, distributed a series of he penned outlining his grand strategy for creating a viable and impactful anti-immigrant movement. In these memos, he warned of a coming 鈥淟atin onslaught鈥� and complained about Latinos鈥� allegedly low 鈥渆ducability," but Tanton discussed his plan for advancing nativist immigration policies.
鈥淭his is a long-range project. We should make every effort to get legislators sympathetic to our point of view appointed to the House and Senate Judiciary Committees, and their Immigration Sub-Committees. Think how much different our prospects would be if someone espousing our ideas had the chairmanship! If we secure the appointment of our people as freshmen members of the committee, we will eventually secure the chairmanship. Remember: we鈥檙e in this for the long haul,鈥� Tanton wrote in the in the series, under a section titled 鈥淚nfiltrate the Judiciary Committees.鈥�
Following the 2014 mid-term elections, Tanton (not for the first time) got his wish, as the Senate Judiciary Committee tipped in favor of the Republicans, many of whom were sympathetic to the anti-immigrant cause, and actively working with anti-immigrant groups.
The increase in the number of hardline immigration restrictionists taking positions in both the House and Senate Judiciary Committees has had a noticeable impact already in 2015. At yesterday鈥檚 hearing, three of the four witnesses invited to testify firmly advocated ending birthright citizenship. (The lone exception was the 人兽性交鈥檚 Cohen.)
One of the witnesses was Jon Feere, a staff member with the anti-immigrant think tank (CIS) a group founded by Tanton in 1985. In 2012, Feere granted an interview to the anti-Semitic newspaper (AFP). Another witness, University of Texas professor Lino Graglia has a history of making racist remarks. In 1997 the professor in a press conference that black and Latino students were 鈥渘ot academically competitive.鈥�
And this seems to be following a pattern.
In 2015 alone, eleven witnesses asked to testify before the House and Senate Judiciary Subcommittees on Immigration had strong ties to anti-immigrant groups. In both the House and Senate, legislators with strong ties to the anti-immigrant movement have introduced legislation designed to gut the 14th Amendment.
In the Senate, David Vitter (R-LA) introduced an amendment to the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act of 2015. Vitter is a longtime champion of anti-immigrant causes and puts a particular emphasis on national security. In the House, Rep. Steve King (R-IA) once again introduced a bill seeking to end birthright citizenship.
King is widely considered to be the most hardline anti-immigrant member of the House and has a long against immigrants and of working with the organized anti-immigrant movement in the U.S. In 2013, he said, 鈥淔or every one who鈥檚 a valedictorian, there鈥檚 another hundred out there who they weigh 130 pounds and they鈥檝e got calves the size of cantaloupes because they鈥檝e been hauling 75 pounds of marijuana across the desert.鈥�
Though both pieces of legislation are not predicted to gain much traction, anti-immigrant groups and activists have used the introduction of the legislation and the recent House hearing as a rallying cry.
Nativist group , the anti-immigrant movement鈥檚 main grassroots organizer, recently sent around an email to supporters linking birthright citizenship with President Obama鈥檚 most recent executive action on immigration. The title of the NumbersUSA email read, 鈥淲ithout 鈥榓nchor babies,鈥� Obama amnesty might not have happened.鈥� In recent days, CIS too published a report claiming that 36,000 women came to the United States annually specifically to give birth to their children, a practice know as 鈥渂irth tourism."
Following Wednesday鈥檚 hearing, Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi issued a strongly worded statement criticizing her Republican counterparts for holding the event.
Pelosi accused Republicans of racing to 鈥減ander to the most radical, anti-immigrant corners of their party.鈥� Pelosi continued, 鈥淗ouse Republicans that refused to give the American people a vote on comprehensive immigration reform are giving a hearing to one of the most loathsome, xenophobic proposals in recent memory.鈥�
With another election only 18 months away, the GOP would do well to heed Pelosi鈥檚 words of warning.
