Birthright Citizenship In America

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Birthright Citizenship Name: Institution: Abstract This paper evaluates birthright citizenship, which is an important factor of consideration in nations today. It is evident that birthright citizenship, which is known as jus soli in the Latin language, is viewed as a controversial issue by various political figures because of the right to claim citizenship that those of foreign parents born in America has, more so, according to the constitution. In the paper, the trends in birthright citizenship are investigated as well as the impact that it has had not only on different nations but also on children, their overall well-being, which is ultimately significant considering that their childhood well-being impacts their well-being …show more content…

There are only two countries with developed economies that allow automatic citizens to children born to foreign parents. The countries are the United States and Canada. No single country in Europe offers this kind of automatic citizenship. Bauböck (2010) also notes that there is a global trend in which states that initially offered this kind of automatic citizenship are choosing to end them through repealing the policies. The Supreme Court of America has through its rulings maintained that children whose parents are permanent resident aliens are protected under the citizenship clause. The same Supreme Court has however never made a decision on whether the provision applies to children whose parents are in the country illegally or on a temporary basis. Impact of Birthright Citizenship When looking at the impact of Birthright Citizenship, this paper assesses what the United States and the children who were given permanent citizenship stand to gain or lose for the Citizenship Clause. Positive Growth and Development for the …show more content…

Most American taxpayers are critical of their taxation being used for the well-being of other people. Additionally, most Americans think that welfare benefits are not allocated to illegal immigrants. However, their perception is not informed since immigrants still receive welfare benefits in the form of Medicaid and food stamps used on their American-born children. An enormous amount of welfare benefits costs is still consumed by illegal immigrants through the birthright citizenship policy. Even through the country places barriers towards illegal aliens with the aim of preventing their access to federal welfare programs, they will still access it through the birthright citizenship loophole. The financial implication of the policy can be manifested in the fact that the occurrence costs the taxpayer in Los Angeles up to one billion dollars annually without including the costs of education (Shachar,

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