Anchors Away

By J.C. Arenas

The state of Arizona is preparing to deal with the issue of anchor babies, one of the many problematic products of the illegal immigration business.

While the 14^th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution provides birthright citizenship to all people born in the country, illegals have used the law to their advantage after having violated one of the nation's other laws: entering or remaining in the country illegally.

In a recent interview with a local ABC affiliate, the state's conservative governor, Jan Brewer, expressed that if illegals face deportation, they are welcome to take their children with them.

Surely, liberals will pounce on such a statement and label it as typical, conservative insensitivity, but the governor reminds us that illegals have consciously taken the risk to enter the country illegally, have children, and then face the possibility of being separated from their children, who are considered citizens, while they are not. The liberal argument of "oh no, we can't break up families" that is has been used to appeal to people's emotions shouldn't be accepted any longer.

Families are divided on a daily basis, and just as with the cases of illegals, it's often the people's own doing. No one makes the argument that a father shouldn't do jail time after committing murder because he has three kids at home. Divorce breaks up families, and it's become a common, accepted practice in this country; as has single motherhood, which brings a child into what is naturally a broken home, one without a father.

What proponents of illegal immigration have forgotten or intentionally ignored is that illegals are using their children as breathing Powerball tickets. As Americans, their children have access to all of the social programs this country has to offer, and the bill is paid for by American taxpayers, not their parents. Moreover, the authorities are hesitant to "break up" families, and liberal politicians are hopeful to continue to use them on election days, and illegals know it; their behavior is hardly innocuous.

The Founders of this great country never envisioned that birthright citizenship could be hijacked by people with their own self-serving motives in mind, and the time has come for it to be redefined. Arizona's next bill aims to do just that, and the state's lawmakers know they have the people's support - a recent Rasmussen poll found that 58% of voters believe a child born in this country to an illegal immigrant should not be granted birthright citizenship.

It is often said as California goes, so goes the country, but perhaps it's time to look to another state for guidance and leadership, like Arizona, where "change you can believe in" is actually being implemented.

J.C. Arenas is a frequent contributor to American Thinker and welcomes your comments at jcarenas.com