The Birthright Citizenship Alignment Act
On November 30, 2007, Della A. Montgomery, chairperson of the Birthright Citizenship Political Committee, submitted an application to the Arizona Secretary of State for an initiative to have the Birthright Citizenship Alignment Act put before Arizona voters in the 2008 general election. However, the initiative failed to get the proposed law placed on the ballot.
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Citizenship of Children of Undocumented Immigrants
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The act stipulated that children--even those born in the United States--whose parents were undocumented immigrants were not U.S. citizens, but rather citizens of the country of which their parents were citizens.
Birth Certificate Registration
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Under the proposal, no one may register a birth certificate for a child born in Arizona with the state unless they included documentation that the parents were U.S. citizens or legal immigrants. If a child was born in Arizona to undocumented immigrants, the birth had to be reported to U.S. immigration services and a consulate of the country of which the child's parents were citizens.
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Foreign Mother, American Father
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A child born in the state could receive a birth certificate if the mother was a foreigner but the father was a U.S. citizen. The father simply needed to affirm paternity and agree to support the child financially until the child turned 18.
The Act's Constitutionality
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Opponents claimed the act violated the U.S. Constitution's Fourteenth Amendment, which confers citizenship on those "born or naturalized in the United States." Supporters insisted the amendment was intended to grant citizenship to former slaves and did not apply to children of undocumented immigrants.
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References
- Arizona Department of State, Office of the Secretary of State: Application for Initiative or Referendum Petition Serial Number
- azcentral.com: Ballot Proposal Reins in Birthright Citizenship
- azcentral.com: 14th Amendment Faces Challenge from Immigration Hardliners
- SignOnSanDiego.com: Measures Would Target Birthright Citizenship
- Photo Credit Arizona, America image by Serenitie from Fotolia.com
