Poll: Americans Split over Birthright Citizenship

By: Stephanie Condon
Topics: Polling ,; Domestic Issues

CBS News Poll analysis by the CBS News Polling Unit: Sarah Dutton, Jennifer De Pinto, Fred Backus and Anthony Salvanto.

Concerns about illegal immigration have spurred some Republicans to call for a debate over the 14th Amendment, which provides a constitutional guarantee of citizenship for anyone born in the United States.

The American public is almost evenly divided as to whether current law should be changed so that children of illegal immigrants born in the United States do not automatically become citizens, a new CBS News poll finds. Forty-nine percent say the law should be kept as is, while 47 percent say it should be changed.

Among Democrats, 59 percent say the law should stay as is. Fifty-four percent of Republicans think it should be changed so that children born to illegal immigrants do not automatically become U.S. citizens. Independents are divided: 47 percent say the law should stay as is, while 49 percent say it should be changed.

Most Americans continue to see illegal immigration as a very serious problem in the U.S. - a view that has held steady over the past four years. Sixty-one percent say it is a "very serious" problem, while an additional 27 percent say it is somewhat serious.

Moreover, 77 percent of Americans think the U.S. could be doing more to stop illegal immigrants from entering the country. Fewer than one in five thinks the U.S. is doing all it can.

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Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) has said he may introduce a constitutional amendment to change the 14th Amendment, while other Republican leaders have advocated for congressional hearings on the issue of birthright citizenship. The Obama administration, meanwhile, has blasted Republicans for considering a change to the Constitution in lieu of considering Democrats' plans for comprehensive immigration reform.

The immigration debate was pushed to the forefront of national politics after Arizona passed a controversial state law requiring law enforcement to check a person's immigration status in certain situations and requiring immigrants carry their identification papers in public.

Fifty-nine percent of Americans see Arizona's new law as about right, while 26 percent think the law goes too far and 14 percent say it does not go far enough. These opinions are similar to last month.

While the vast majority say illegal immigration is a problem, 51 percent say they think illegal immigrants take jobs that Americans don't want. Fewer - 39 percent - say illegal immigrants take jobs away from Americans. Views on this have been fairly consistent over the last few years.

More from the poll:

Poll: Obama Approval Rating Up Slightly
Poll: Most Think Some Bush Tax Cuts Should Expire
Poll: Nearly 3 in 10 Support Tea Party
Poll: Most Say New Orleans Deserves More U.S. Aid
Poll: Most Americans Say Iraq War Was a Mistake
Read the Complete Poll

This poll was conducted among a random sample of 1,082 adults nationwide, interviewed by telephone August 20-24, 2010. Phone numbers were dialed from random digit dial samples of both standard land-line and cell phones. The error due to sampling for results based on the entire sample could be plus or minus three percentage points. The error for subgroups is higher.

This poll release conforms to the Standards of Disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls.

Stephanie Condon
Stephanie Condon is a political reporter for CBSNews.com.
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by OLGASTONE November 8, 2010 5:13 AM EST: I woulod like to comment on the program about senior drivers but don't know how to get there. (We would like to give up driving but have no alternate means of transportation here on LI like busses etc.; Reply to this comment


by epperlyg September 20, 2010 10:06 PM EDT: How do you amend or repeal something that does not exist? The 14th Amendment was rejected by more than 1/4th of the States in the year of 1867 and thus it does not exist. It exist as a fraud and deception of the Congress and the Federal Courts (see http://www.14th-amendment.com)

When will CBS, NBC, ABC, Cable News, and Newspapers going to come forward and take a stand to protect and defend the U.S. Constititon by informing the people of the truth behind the historical facts of the purported ratification of the 14th Amendment?; Reply to this comment


by colowww August 31, 2010 11:27 PM EDT: I bet if the poll asked if congress should clarify citizenship eligablity under the 14 amendment to not include children of illegal immigrants and tourists, the percentages would be verry different. The 14th does not have to be amended to end birthright citizenship everybody!; Reply to this comment


by colowww August 31, 2010 11:19 PM EDT: A few items left out. It cost $12,000 to $35,000 to have a baby in a U.S. hospital depending on complications and other factors. In most cases the U.S. taxpayers pick up the tab for babies born to illegal immigrants. Annual births to illegals is three hundred to four hundred thousand per year now. These numbers are almost certinly going to continue to grow in the future, as baby tourism networks continue to grow in size and sophistication and illegal immigrants continue to find new ways to game the system. There for it is very possible that we can be looking at annual births in the millions in the not to distant future. Of course the cost of the birth is just the beginning. Our country is already officially overpopulated and our schools and hospitals are already overcrowded and underfunded. Are you concerned about reducing the size of our CO2 output or the size our our government? Forget about it, if we don't reduce immigration. I believe we will eventually end birthright citizenship for the same reason all the other countries have. We just can't afford it and it is an obsolete practice.; Reply to this comment


by ENFORCER-1 August 27, 2010 11:48 AM EDT: This is very easily explained. If my wife and I went to Germany while she was pregnant and we were caught in Germany by let's say a volcano spewing ash in the air. We unexpectedly get held up in Germany for two weeks. During which time she gives birth to our new son. Does that mean that if we bring our son back to the U.S. that he is not a U.S. citizen. Absolutely not. Children birthed by U.S. citizens are U.S. citzens, no matter where they are born, therefore children birthed by ILLEGAL mexican citizens in the U.S.A., are still mexican citizens. They are just as ILLEGAL AS THEIR ILLEGAL PARENTS. PLEASE people, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure this one out, though a liberal will probably never figure it out.; Reply to this comment

by magnumdr August 27, 2010 4:23 AM EDT

A Mexican illegal immigrant comes to the USA. Three months later she has a child. Is the child an American or Mexican. Who is the father, is he also an illegal. Comon, unless you are a legal citizen here your children cannot be claimed as Americans. If I am a woman and go to Mexico and have a baby there will the Mexican Government say that my baby is a Mexican. Get real.

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by actornaught August 27, 2010 7:35 AM EDT: Its funny when the Constitution puts rightwingers in awkward situations.

The Founders didn't even require citizenship to vote.

By the way, Mexico sucks badly. I don't want our country to follow Mexico as an example.


by sadie7 August 27, 2010 4:22 AM EDT: OK. Let us deal with the 14th amendment. I don't disagree with the argument that says change it, especially with it with today's reality. BUT let us also deal with ALL of the other amendments as well, because we have to. WE HAVE TO BE FAIR AND IMPARTIAL and review all of the amendments. Do you think that today's standards apply to the second amendment?? Do people really get a fair and speedy trial in all 50 states? In any of them? This could start a snowball of fury, and in my opinion, it could be a good one. This country needs to be accountable to its fundamental beliefs. Bring it on. Let's review; after all it has been over 200 years.; Reply to this comment

by DelawareBob August 26, 2010 9:38 PM EDT

OK. Let me try to figure this out. It is against the law to enter this Country ILLEGALLY. Correct? OK. However, if you do come into this country ILLEGALLY and have a child, we will reward that child with a U.S. birth certificate and make him or her a citizen of the United States, pay for the birth and get the child on welfare so you can get money to stay in this country...and that's not ALL! We will school that child and you will get food stamps, the child will get FREE school lunches, and that's not ALL! You both can have FREE healthcare and get into public housing, and that's not ALL! The more children you have, the more money you will get. But keep in mind, it is against the law to enter this country ILLEGALLY! Do I have that right? OK. How do you feel about Birth Tourism?

http://www.eturbonews.com/15529/us-birth-tourism-becoming-flourishing-business

http://www.amren.com/mtnews/archives/2010/03/birth_tourism_i.php

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by actornaught August 27, 2010 7:45 AM EDT: The 'pubs aren't going to do a dang thing about this Yapping Point. For decades they, and now with the help of foxrush media, have periodically dragged this issue out to get Some People worked up.

How's it working?!


by taxedmore August 26, 2010 7:48 PM EDT: Maybe we should just mail US Passports and citizenship papers to anybody in the world who wants them.? We could also send applications (in their native language) for food stamps, subsidized housing, Medicaid, etc.? This would save all those people the trouble of having to sneak across the border or take an "anchor baby" flight into the country.; Reply to this comment