More on Birthright Citizenship: Why a Color-Blind Approach to the Question Misses the Point

The nation continues to experience blow back from Senator Lindsey Graham’s proposal to consider a constitutional amendment ending birthright citizenship under the Fourteenth Amendment.

Harold Meyerson of the Washington Post sees the call for the abolition of birthright citizenship as an effort by Republicans to limit growing Latino political clout  Ignoring the disparate racial impacts of the proposed end of automatic birthright citizenship, Law Prof Peter Schuck suggests that Congress require that the children demonstrate some “genuine connection” to the United States before getting citizenship, possibly through attending school.

The contrasting approaches in these two pieces — one focusing on the racial impacts of a possible change in the law and the other taking a color-blind approach — demonstrate why there is such a chasm between the two warring sides of the debate on the issue.

Won’t the hearings in Congress on a possible constitutional amendment to birthright citizenship be great fun?  Stay tuned!

KJ