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Washington D.C. – Yesterday, federal and state-level legislators introduced legislation to deny U.S. citizenship to the U.S.-born children of undocumented immigrants.

Bruce Lesley, President of First Focus, a bipartisan child advocacy organization, issued the following statement:

“We are outraged with the misguided motivations of a radical element in our country that believes that the best way to fix our broken immigration system is to deliberately hurt millions of our nation’s children. We find it even more disturbing that they are attempting to radically modify our Constitution in order to do it. The Fourteenth Amendment of our Constitution has been crucial in ensuring that all children born in the United States are provided with the rights and privileges of citizenship, regardless of race, color, or ancestry.

“It is highly ironic that today the House of Representatives has decided to read the Constitution on the House floor, which includes the Fourteenth Amendment. Yet, just yesterday, Representative Steve King (R-IA) announced his intentions to modify our nation’s Constitution in a manner that would negatively impact all children born in this country. The fact remains that attacks on birthright citizenship and so-called ‘anchor babies’ are nothing more than immoral and senseless attacks on the wellbeing of children.

“As children’s advocates, we are gravely concerned at the efforts to overturn the inalienable rights children are guaranteed through the Fourteenth Amendment. Such a drastic change would have severe consequences for all children born in our country. Not only would millions of children be left with no home or identity, but all American families would be required to navigate a complex system in order to prove their child’s citizenship, possibly delaying access to important services and benefits for many of our most vulnerable children.

“The 112th Congress will have a choice to make over the next two years as to how we as a nation address our immigration policies. It can either continue to target children and families by depriving them of basic human rights, or it can finally work together to comprehensively fix our immigration system in a way that respects our American values. And as Americans, we believe in putting our children first. We urge Congress to make the moral and sensible choice by upholding our Constitution and protecting the rights of our nation’s children.”

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