Austin American Statesman

In the immigration debate, remember the kids are American

We tend to forget about the children who are involved in the controversial debate concerning illegal immigration. Most of these children are born in America. This is their home; the only home they've ever known. It would make sense to send these children of immigrants back with their families, but is that constitutional? Republicans seem to think so. A movement has been set to motion to change the 14^th Amendment to strip citizenship from the American-born children of illegal immigrants. Shouldn’t all American citizens have rights regardless of how their parents arrived to the U.S.? If my rights had anything to do with my parents past, I would be in big trouble. It is imperative that these children receive what they are entitled to as American citizens. It is easy to think of the children as abstractions, a concept or idea not associated with any specific instance, but the reality is that they are here and they were born here whether some may like it or not. These children risk being punished for nothing more than being born. The setting of this blog is the District of Columbia, which is the home to illegal immigrants ranging in the thousands. Irony floods this Washington area with the Capital standing tall and proud, yet most of the “locals” are illegal immigrants and their American-born children. Regardless of how the illegal immigration debate should turn out, it is against all that our country stands for to treat these children as anything but American citizens. After all…These Children Are Our Future.

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