One of the most hot-button issues of the upcoming presidential election is that of birthright citizenship, and the immigration, both legal and illegal, that results from this policy. As immigration continues to flourish in the United States, the question of whether all children born on American soil should be granted automatic citizenship looms over the heads of politicians. This constitutional right is being challenged due to an influx of immigrants coming to the United States for the sole purpose of procuring citizenship for their unborn children — a process known as birth tourism. While birthright citizenship does have its flaws, they are consistently blown out of proportion, while its benefits and overlooked. Politicians are essentially …show more content…
Specifically, that of birth tourism in California. Many Chinese couples come to the United States legally to give birth, to benefit from our nation’s medical facilities, lack of a one-child quota, and of course, its birthright citizenship policy. The majority of these children return to Asia until they reach adulthood, and then return to America at an age in which they can be productive members of society (Dalmia). This pattern results America’s ability to sidestep the costs of raising the child, while still benefitting from his productivity later in life — a win-win situation. While this situation is not commonplace for Mexican immigrants, the common idea that immigrants are less likely to benefit from welfare programs than their native-born counterparts (Dalmia). Immigration is advantageous to our society as it can not only imbue our nation with new ideas, but also brings in workers who will take jobs that many native-born citizens will not. The main drawback of mass immigration is the difficulty of providing citizenship to so many (Wilkinson). The problems caused by birthright citizenship and illegal immigration could be solved through the creation of a North American labor