I was watching Hannity and Colmes -- in fact, I'm watching it right now -- and one of their guests is Rep. Gary Miller (R-CA), one of the authors of the Citizenship Reform Act of 2005. Gary Miller and some other congressmen are very concerned that current U.S. citizenship laws allow children of illegal immigrants to become citizens. Title 8 of the United States Code governs who can and cannot become a citizen of the United States. Currently, any child born on United States soil automatically becomes a U.S. citizen. Miller and his friends, Hannity being one of them, is incensed about this. As such, Miller wants to amend Title 8 to read thus:

(d) For purposes of section 301(a), a person born in the United States shall be considered as 'subject to the jurisdiction of the United States' if--

(1) the child was born in wedlock in the United States to a parent either of whom is (A) a citizen or national of the United States, or (B) an alien who is lawfully admitted for permanent residence and maintains his or her residence (as defined in subsection (a)(33)) in the United States; or

(2) the child was born out of wedlock in the United States to a mother who is (A) a citizen or national of the United States, or (B) an alien who is lawfully admitted for permanent residence and maintains her residence in the United States.

For purposes of this subsection, a child is considered to be 'born in wedlock' only if both parents are married to each other and parents are not considered to be married if such marriage is only a common law marriage.'.

Apparently, there are children of immigrants out there who are sponsoring their parents for citizenship! This cannot stand.

Interestingly, Miller noted that 120 other countries around the world have laws prohibiting people born on their soil from automatically becoming citizens. As quick as lightning, Colmes was on him for being a hypocrite. You see, conservatives don't like it when other countries' laws are used as support for our own laws (cf. Lawrence v. Texas), but apparently, as long as conservatives agree with the law in the first place, it's okay to use other countries' laws as support for our own! Hypocrite.

Gary Miller is, somehow, the U.S. Representative of the 42nd district, which includes Los Angeles county, Orange county, and and San Bernadino county. How did this guy get elected, again?

The bill, H.R. 698, is currently in the House Subcommittee on Immigration, Border Security, and Claims. Don't expect it to fly too well, since Bush has shown that he is fervently pro-immigration, and such a bill would alienate his Hispanic constituents.

Footnotes

* = title of this entry if written by Gary Miller and Sean Hannity