Forbes Pushes for Stronger Laws on Birthright Citizenship

Press Release

Forbes Pushes for Stronger Laws on Birthright Citizenship

Congressman J. Randy Forbes (VA-04) announced his support today for H.R. 1940, the Birthright Citizenship Act, legislation that would deny automatic citizenship to "anchor babies," or children born in the United States to illegal immigrants.

The bill, cosponsored by Congressman Forbes, states that a person born in the U.S. shall be eligible for birthright citizenship only if the person is born in the United States of parents who are citizens or lawfully present, or if the parent is performing active service in the armed forces. Under current law, a child born on U.S. soil, despite the legal status of his or her parents, is entitled to all benefits that U.S. citizenship entails, including federal welfare benefits and the right to vote.

"This policy has caused unintended consequences in our immigration system," said Forbes. "These children receiving automatic citizenship serve as an anchor for illegal immigrant parents to remain in this country, and further, receive multiple benefits paid for by law-abiding American taxpayers."

The Center for Immigration Studies estimates 383,000 such births annually in 2002 or nearly 10 percent of all births in the United States in a year. For more information on this legislation, visit: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:hr1940:.

Congressman Forbes strongly opposes amnesty for illegal immigrants who break the nation's laws, and supports the improvement of control along the nation's borders and the protection of the legal rights of citizens of the United States. He serves on the House Judiciary Committee, the House Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee and the House Immigration Reform Caucus. For a comprehensive look at Congressman Forbes work on this issue, please visit: http://forbes.house.gov/issues/immigration.htm.

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