May 20, 2009
NumbersUSA.com
Rep. Nathan Deal Reintroduces Bill to End Birthright Citizenship
H.R. 1868
Rep. Nathan Deal (R-GA) reintroduced his Birthright Citizenship bill that would eliminate automatic citizenship for children born in the United States. The Birthright Citizenship Act of 2009 (H.R.1868) would amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to make it more difficult for children born in the U.S. to gain citizenship.
Under the proposed legislation, a person born in the United States, in order to gain citizenship, must have at least one parent who is:
- - a U.S. citizen or national;
- - a lawful permanent resident alien whose residence is in the United States; or
- - an alien performing active service in the U.S. Armed Forces.
Rep. Deal's bill has 46 cosponsors.
The Birthright Citizenship Act of 2009 is one of five bills that are endorsed by NumbersUSA. To see a list of these bills and their current sponsors, see the grid on the proposed bills page.
Rep. Phil Gingrey's H.R. 878 - End Chain Migration
Rep. Phil Gingrey has introduced H.R.878 that makes changes to the Immigration and Nationality Act, reducing the number of legal family-sponsored immigrants entering the country. Gingrey introduced the same bill in both the 110th Congress (H.R.938) and the 109th (H.R.6283).
The Nuclear Family Priority Act would eliminate the extended family visa categories (e.g., married sons and daughters of citizens, etc.), thus ending "chain migration" as recommended by the bi-partisan Barbara Jordan Commission in 1997.
Chain migration is the process where seemingly endless "chains" of foreign nationals are allowed to immigrate to the United States, since our laws allow citizens and lawful permanent residents to bring in their non-nuclear, adult family members. It is the primary mechanism that has caused legal immigration in this country to quadruple since the 1960s.
The current annual limits on greencards are 65,000 adult brothers and sisters, 23,400 married sons and daughters and 23,400 unmarried adult sons and daughters. H.R. 878 would eliminate all three categories and not provide an increase in any other category, thereby directly decreasing overall immigration by 111,800 per year (1.118 million a decade). This would indirectly reduce the numbers by even more over time as there would be fewer recent immigrants who are the ones most likely to bring people into the country as spouses or parents of U.S. citizens.
The NumbersUSA publication "Categories of Migrants Recognized Under U.S. Law" details the impact of Chain Migration on current immigration numbers.
Currently, there are 20 cosponsors to Gingrey's bill. NumbersUSA will recognize the current cosponsors and any additional cosponsors over the next few weeks.
Rep. Bob Goodlatte's H.R. 2305 - End Visa Lottery
Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) reintroduced his SAFE for America Act (H.R.2305) last night, which would in effect shut down the Visa Lottery. The lottery issues 50,000 green cards per year without any regard to their humanitarian needs, what they might offer the country or their having any family connections here.
The bill has 26 cosponsors.
The Visa Lottery Program is managed by the Department of State which awards up to 55,000 permanent resident visas a year to applicants from countries with relatively low rates of immigration to the United States compared to other countries, based on data from the previous five years. The visa lottery grants visas based on pure luck to people regardless of family ties, skills, education or to the United States, exposing this country to national security threats such as espionage, terrorism, and criminal refuge. The bipartisan Barbara Jordan Commission in 1995 recommended the elimination of the lottery, since it serves no national interest. This section charts House and Senate bills and joint resolutions on whether or not they increase or decrease the number of lottery visas.
Rep. Marsha Blackburn's H.R. 2406 - Local Enforcement
Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) introduced, H.R. 2406, the Clear Law Enforcement for Criminal Alien Removal (CLEAR) Act of 2009. The
bill's key element is in "helping local law enforcement detect, arrest and detain illegal aliens in their communties."
Another major proponent of the bill would reinstate funding for the incarceration of illegal aliens that was cut from Pres. Barack Obama's FY2010 budget proposal. The State Criminal Alien Assistance Program (SCAAP) receives $400 million per year. In addition to continuing the funding for SCAAP, the CLEAR Act also would provide the following enhancements to promote sound enforcement of immigration law:
- - Recognition of local law enforcement authority to help enforce immigration law;
- - Improved information sharing with the federal government;
- - Requirements for the federal government to expeditiously remove criminal aliens;
- - Increased federal resources for local governments that choose to enforce the law; and
- - The CLEAR Act of 2009 will ensure that local governments are not saddled with an
unfunded mandate by the federal government when it refuses to enforce the law.
The CLEAR Act has 19 original cosponsors who will be recognized on the NumbersUSA front page over the upcoming weeks.
Rep. Heath Shuler's SAVE Act (E-Verify)
E-Verify is an Internet-based system operated by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) in partnership with the Social Security Administration (SSA). E-Verify is currently free to employers and is available in all 50 states. It provides an automated link to federal databases to help employers determine employment eligibility of new hires and the validity of their Social Security numbers. While its usage remains voluntary throughout the country, some states have passed legislation making its use mandatory for certain businesses.
