Speech #1050089675

We are talking about fairness here. too. Mr. Speaker. because how many people are waiting out there. 3.500.000. to immigrate legally? How many children are born to these 3.500.000 people who are playing by the rules? Do we give them automatic citizenship? No. We tell them. like we should be telling the children of illegal aliens. you have the right to apply for citizenship like anyone else. but we are not going to give you automatic citizenship. I think it is quite unfair that we tell one group of people that your children get automatic citizenship because you broke the law and then tell another group of people. 3.500.000. that you will not get this privilege because you did not break the law. Fairness tells us we need to take care of this problem. Thousands of legal immigrants are waiting. and many. many thousands of illegal aliens are getting rewarded. There may be those who say that H.R. 7 is unconstitutional. Mr. Speaker. the Supreme Court has never ruled on the issue of illegal aliens getting automatic citizenship for their children. They have ruled on legal aliens. and they have said that because legal aliens were allowed in this country and agreed to come to this country. they have the burdens of loyalty and obligations of service in the draft. With that obligation comes the inheritance for their children of automatic citizenship. Illegal aliens do not have that obligation. and thus cannot pass on a citizenship right to their children as legal immigrants can and U.S. citizens. Mr. Speaker. the status of H.R. 7 is we have 51 bipartisan sponsors. The hearing was held on June 25. We are looking forward to a markup in early November. and frankly. I would encourage every citizen in the United States and every legal resident to contact their Congressman and ask them to join in the Immigration Reform Act of 1997. and bring some logic and some fairness back into our immigration policy. Let us start rewarding people for playing by the rules and stop punishing them for obeying the laws.