The Pros And Cons Of The 14th Amendment

It has been argued that birthright citizenship, or the legal right to citizenship for all children born in a country 's territory, regardless of parentage, may reward/encourage illegal immigrant parents an excuse to stay in the country. Despite this possibility, the 14th Amendment should not be modified. The 14th Amendment states that “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside.” (U.S. Const. amend. XIV, § 1) It does not stand by America’s past actions and it won’t solve the immigration problem. When children granted birthright citizenship grow up, they will benefit the American economy and its society by becoming influential citizens and taxpayers. While the opposition may argue that we are currently not using the amendment for its true intentions, it’s clear that the way we are currently applying it to modern day is a positive choice. A

In 1964, Equal Access was added to the amendment as a result of the Civil Rights Movement, allowing black and white children to go to school together. ("42 U.S. Code § 2000a") This amendment was used to cover that case that doesn’t necessarily use it in the way it was first intended to be. As a country founded by immigrants, it’s hypocritical to lessen the rights of immigrants. We would be nothing without immigration. As a full amendment in our constitution, it should not be changed simply because it’s causing our country inconvenience in some people’s opinion. It will also cause more struggle and poverty for immigrants, legal or illegal, in America, which is something American’s have been working very hard to prevent in recent years. (Ronald Rotunda "Birthright Citizenship Benefits the