Alexandria, VA, June 06, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As the Trump Administration and 115th Congress continue to debate massive reforms to U.S. immigration policies, Negative Population Growth (NPG) has released a new Position paper today on the issue of birthright citizenship. NPG President Donald Mann notes: “Current application of the 14th Amendment of the Constitution grants automatic U.S. citizenship for every baby born on American soil – regardless of the immigration status of either parent. With present family preference policies in place, these so-called ‘anchor babies’ are able to later sponsor large numbers of immigrants to settle in the U.S. – even adult, non-nuclear family members. The pro-amnesty and open-border immigration lobbies have long capitalized on this loophole, frequently portraying today’s mass immigration numbers as a humanitarian effort – as well as a holy grail for economic growth. However, NPG’s newest Position paper highlights the real costs of such immigration-driven population growth, showing that it is greatly damaging to America’s long-term sustainability.”
The new NPG Position paper, titled Reforming Birthright Citizenship: A Must for U.S. Population Policy, counters demands to maintain current procedures that authorize automatic U.S. citizenship – even if one or both parents of the child are in the country illegally. The paper notes: “This application of the law – which has been widely upheld by the U.S. court system and championed by an ever-more-accommodating federal government – is par for the course in a deteriorating immigration system that encourages massive population growth. …When combined with today’s inconsistent enforcement of immigration laws, many would-be migrants see the benefits of having an ‘anchor baby’ as outweighing the potential consequences of unlawful entry.”
Mann explains: “Considering that the Census Bureau projects that immigration – legal, illegal, and the U.S.-born children of immigrants – will soon become the primary driver of U.S. population growth, this is an issue of significant concern for NPG. These short-sighted policies should be greatly alarming to anyone concerned with a livable American future, because the population implications are huge. This is not a small problem – research has found that each year, hundreds of thousands of children are born in the U.S. with at least one illegal alien parent.” The Position paper highlights: “In September 2015, Pew Research Center estimated that there were approximately 295,000 ‘anchor babies’ born in the U.S. in 2013, ‘making up 8% of… U.S. births that year....’”
The paper continues: “For 45 years, NPG has consistently demonstrated how U.S. population growth has caused, contributed to, or worsened many of the everyday problems we experience as Americans: mounting environmental damage, a lagging economy, overburdened infrastructure, dwindling natural resources, and a diminishing quality of life.” Mann adds: “Sadly, despite all recent debate in the 115th Congress and in the national media regarding America’s current immigration levels, there has been absolutely no expression of concern over the resulting population growth. This irrefutable and direct link is why NPG has long held that our nation must adopt reasonable and responsible immigration policies, which includes the immediate clarification of the 14th Amendment to end the practice of automatic birthright citizenship.”
The Position paper explains: “A multitude of bad policies and lax enforcement precedents have dangerously weakened our nation’s immigration system. We must act now to strengthen it – or pay a huge price in the long run. Clarifying America’s 14th Amendment is a cornerstone of that fight. While this change is unlikely to single-handedly resolve all of our nation’s problems, it is a critical first step towards NPG’s ultimate goal: to slow, halt, and eventually reverse U.S. population growth in order to preserve a livable future.”
Mann notes: “I’d like to see discussion of the consequences of immigration-driven population growth: a lack of affordable housing, drought and water shortages, and the loss of open space and farmland.” Echoing Mann’s concerns, the NPG Position paper concludes: “While it will not entirely solve the problem of continued population growth, a simple restriction on birthright citizenship is one of the easiest, most reasonable steps toward protecting our future. This step must be taken, and – to see any long-term reduction in U.S. population growth – it must be followed by: strict reductions in legal immigration rates, immediate and strict enforcement of existing immigration laws, the end of ‘sanctuary’ legislation and other accommodations for illegal aliens, and the broad public advocacy of the two-child family.”
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Founded in 1972, NPG is a national nonprofit membership organization dedicated to educating the American public and political leaders regarding the damaging effects of population growth. We believe that our nation is already vastly overpopulated in terms of the long-range carrying capacity of its resources and environment. NPG advocates the adoption of its Proposed National Population Policy, with the goal of eventually stabilizing U.S. population at a sustainable level – far lower than today’s. We do not simply identify the problems – we propose solutions. For more information, visit our website at www.NPG.org, follow us on Facebook @NegativePopulationGrowth or follow us on Twitter @npg_org.
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