Duncan Hunter, the Republican who represents CA-52 (suburban San Diego), has decided that Arizona’s new law is a perfect occasion to call for thousands of children – U.S. citizens – to be sent into exile:
Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Alpine) says the federal government should deport U.S.-born children of undocumented immigrants.
“Would you support deportation of natural-born American citizens that are the children of illegal aliens,” Hunter was asked. “I would have to, yes,” Hunter said. “… We simply cannot afford what we’re doing right now,” he said. “… It takes more than just walking across the border to become an American citizen. It’s what’s in our souls. …”
Let us be extremely clear: this is massively unconstitutional. The 14th Amendment leaves no doubt about this:
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.
That means Duncan Hunter is calling for US citizens – children – to be sent into exile from the country of their birth.
And why? Because of their ancestry. Simply because someone’s ancestry is perceived by Hunter to be insufficiently American, which is his way of saying “Mexican,” he thinks a US citizen should be kicked out of their country.
It’s racist, but it’s more than that. It is an attack on the very basis of the United States of America, a nation where everyone is equal regardless of ancestry, where citizenship confers inviolable rights on people, and where what the Constitution says matters.
For a right-wing movement that claims to be so interested in what the Constitution actually says – see the “Tenthers” – they show a disturbing willingness to ignore the Constitution when it is politically convenient, when the Constitution gets in the way of their racism.
Remember, anything enacted after the 10th amendment is blatantly illegal, unconstitutional, and has no ponies in it. Oh, and the 4th and 8th amendments were clearly typos.
Their theory seems to be that “and subject to the jurisdiction thereof” can be interpreted so as to mean that people who are born here to illegal parents aren’t actually subject to our jurisdiction, and therefore aren’t citizens.
The fact that this would also mean that, because they aren’t subject to our jurisdiction, they can’t be convicted for violating our laws … doesn’t seem to matter to them.
I think it’s a ‘solution’ in search of a theory.
Why does Duncan Hunter hate undocumented workers when Corporate America loves them, induces them to come and work (for ever lower wages) here, there, and everywhere else good, well paying and, formerly unionized jobs used to be.
The unasked question is why this country’s immigration system allows so few to apply for citizenship, why the process takes so long, and why it appears the the goal is to import low-wage workers to displace other workers in an increasingly speedy race to the bottom, all the while garnering animosity to the low paid worker.