CNN Reporter Gets Owned in Birthright Citizenship Interview

True, this past year was a divisive year for Arizona and immigration policy.  But if Sen. Russell Pearce follows up SB 1070 with his plan to end birthright citizenship for the children born to illegal immigrants, then 2010 will be a mere shadow of the media storm created in the next legislative session.

This past year will seem tame by comparison.  Arizona’s SB 1070 was nothing more than a federalism issue.  It was a state asserting that it would concurrently enforce national immigration measures.  Nothing more, nothing less.

But planning to deny birth certificates to the children born to illegal immigrants is a direct challenge to the present application of the 14th Amendment, which begins:

“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…”

On its face, the children born to illegal immigrants are constitutionally entitled to birthright citizenship.  Building a case to suggest otherwise requires Sen. Pearce and future courtroom defendants to prove that the intent behind the 14th Amendment did not include granting birthright citizenship to the children of illegal immigrants.

It is on this matter that Sen. Pearce has been doing his homework.  In the video below, Sen. Pearce dominates CNN’s Jessica Yellin on intent and prior court cases.

In what might be next year’s birthright citizenship bill talking point, Sen. Pearce says, “All I’m trying to do is return the original intent of the 14th Amendment.”