Washington D.C.- Congressman Steve King (R-IA), Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Immigration, today issued the following statement after learning that lawmakers in 14 states are drafting legislation to end the practice of granting automatic American citizenship to the children of illegal aliens who are born on American soil.
“Because the 14th Amendment has been misconstrued, current law inappropriately gives American citizenship to the children of illegal aliens solely because their parents were able to cross our borders illegally and give birth here,” said King. “As a result of this perverse incentive, an entire ‘anchor baby’ industry has developed which exploits a legal loophole caused by a misinterpretation of the Constitution. Many of these illegal aliens are giving birth to children in the United States so that they can have uninhibited access to taxpayer funded benefits and to citizenship for as many family members as possible.”
“I am encouraged by the fact that 14 states are now taking action to address the problem of ‘birthright citizenship’ for the children of illegal aliens. American immigration law should not create incentives for people to enter our country illegally.”