McALLEN, Texas, April 7, 2008
Illegal Immigrant Births - At Your Expense
Taxpayers Foot Bill For Roughly 300,000 Children Born Into Citizenship When Their Parents Are Illegal
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Play CBS Video Video Paying For Immigrant Births Pregnant women from Mexico are crossing the border to have their babies in the U.S. Byron Pitts reports on the debate over who should foot the bill for the children of illegal immigrants.
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Wishing to be identified only as Fabiola, this new mother crossed from Mexico into the United States just to give birth to her son -- and to make sure he's be an American citizen. (CBS)
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Interactive Immigration And Naturalization Who's coming to America? Find out what's being done to screen for terrorists and take a citizenship quiz.
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Interactive The Nation We Live In Who are Americans and what do they do? A comprehensive look at our economic, sociological and racial breakdown.
She gave birth to a healthy, 8 1/2 pound baby boy - born in America. His Mexican mother gave him an American name: Eliot.
Eliot is one of an estimated 300,000 children of illegal immigrants born in the United States every year, according to the Pew Hispanic Center. They're given instant citizenship because they are born on U.S. soil, which makes it easier for their parents to become U.S. citizens.
That's because those babies can eventually sponsor their parents - when they turn 21 years old.
As for Eliot's mother, no longer as fearful of deportation, she told CBS News her name, Fabiola, and her story.
"So your son is an American citizen. What does that mean to you?" Pitts asked.
"I am very glad that he was born. That's why I came here - so my children, my husband and I could have a better life," she said through a translator.
Back in December, when she was six months pregnant, Fabiola, her husband and their two daughters - ages 4 and 11 - crossed the Rio Grande from Mexico into the U.S.
Once on the other side of the river they walked for two hours in search of a better life and free medical care for their unborn child.
"Do many women in Mexico make the choice to have their children in the United States?" Pitts asked.
"Yes," she said through a translator. "I know people who have done that. Things are much better here in the U.S. because they help children so much more."
It's a "better" life ... that American taxpayers help pay for.
Take healthcare for example -- an estimated $1.1 billion per year for undocumented men, women and children, according to the Rand Corporation.
Joe Riley is the CEO of the McAllen Texas Medical Center near the Texas-Mexico border. Forty percent of the children born there, nearly 2,400 last year, were the babies of illegal immigrants.
Riley has seen and heard it all.
"Mothers about to give birth that walk up to the hospital still wet from swimming across the river in actual labor … dirty, wet, cold," he said.
But here to have a child?
"Here to have a child in the U.S.," he said.
McAllen is part of a large hospital system. Like all hospitals, it is mandated by law to treat all emergency-room patients, not verify citizenship.
"We have uncompensated care of over $200 million a year," Riley said.
"Of money that you'll never see again?" Pitts asked.
"Yes," he said.
Rep. Lamar Smith, R-Texas, said: "It is not fair to the taxpayers who have to foot the bill."
Congress has all but given up on comprehensive immigration reform. But lawmakers like Smith want to solve birth citizenship to illegal immigrants, in part by challenging the 14th Amendment, which guarantees U.S. citizenship to any child born in America.
"It seems fundamentally wrong that we ought to give the greatest honor of their citizenship," Smith said. "His or her mother came across the border illegally."
Many Americans who struggle to take care of their own families think it is unfair that they should take care of a family and they are not U.S. citizens.
"I don't understand the resentment," said. "I know that God will help them, too."
That's what Fabiola's doing for young Eliot. Relying on her faith, her family … and the U.S. government.
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Michelle Obama tells how her role as the First Lady has changed her perspective.
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See all 1307 CommentsI couldn't have said this better myself, so I'll quote from the website of Congressman Lamar Smith of Texas:
"Before we consider new immigration proposals, we must fix a fundamental flaw in our current immigration laws, which is the automatic granting of American citizenship to the children of illegal aliens.
The United States is the only industrialized country in the world that automatically grants citizenship to a child born to illegal alien parents. The easy availability of ?birth citizenship? is a major reason why hundreds of thousands of illegal aliens continue to cross our borders every year.
In the 1980?s the United Kingdom and Australia ended U.S.-style birth citizenship after it was abused. In Europe, Asia and Africa, citizenship is not automatically extended to infants born within the countries` borders. At least one parent must be a citizen in order for a child to have citizenship status.
Hundreds of thousands of children are born to illegal aliens each year. The children of illegal aliens immediately qualify for a number of federal, state, and local benefit programs. In addition, when the children turn 21, they can sponsor the immigration of other relatives, becoming ?anchor babies? for an entire extended family.
I support legislation that would end birth citizenship. It would require at least one parent to be a citizen or a legal permanent resident. By preserving U.S. citizenship for children of citizens and legal permanent residents, we will not encourage illegal immigration."
pride and selfishness destroy people.
I agree with you guys that SOME undocumented people are causing damage to society, but not all of them.
I know that you guys know that there is also a positive side on this people.
it''s been a pleasure chating with you guys. This are my last comments.I''m sorry if I cause any touble to you guys with my commnets.Life it''s hard to undesrtand but if life gives me lemons I''m planning on making lemonade. I''ll keep miself holding on the positive side of life.
I want this problem stopped NOW! Americans can barely take care of their own families, much less illegal invaders. Build those walls. Deny them healthcare. And stop letting babies of illegals born here be automatic US citizens. That has got to be the craziest law ever created and it''s time we abolished it!
Regarding our rights as Americans, we don''t have many, if any, left. If we ever did have any, they''ve beem taken away. This issue is case in point. We will be paying for these children whether we like it or not.
The people with political clout have, for the most part, been supported by a high income or inherited wealth all their lives. They have NO IDEA what it''s like to work for a wage (after taxes, etc. have been taken out) that won''t support even a single person, let alone a family; BUT they''re the ones making the decisions for those of us who do.
Court documents indicate Rivera-Gamboa woke to the sounds of his cousin and Countryman on the floor. Arellano-Gamboa was reportedly on top of the girl as she struggled beneath him. Arellano-Gamboa asked his cousin to help him restrain her. Rivera-Gamboa responded by stepping on the Dani''s neck until she stopped moving.
This is not providing for the common defense.
See her picture here.
illegalalienfree dot us/DaniCountryman1 dot html
Her young American life,and ALL THE AMERICAN PROGENY SHE WILL NEVER HAVE, was extinguished is a disgusting violent pathetic rape by two foreign national our government had allowed to freely roam about IN OUR COUNTRY against any reasonable due process of immigration protocols.
Saying that "citizens commit murder too" is far and away the most bogus and evil argument for the complete negation of governments duty to screen potential undesirables from entry into the nation.
"to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity"
OURSELVES AND OUR POSTERITY-NOT "EVERYONE ON THE PLANET AND THEIR POSTERITY"
NOR
"MULTINATIONAL BUSINESS INTERESTS"
UNION, NOT "MULTICULTURALISM"
OUR POSTERITY, NOT EVERYONES ON THE PLANETS POSTERITY
"provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare"
NOT PROMOTE THE WELFARE OF MULTINATIONAL CORPORATIONS AT THE EXPENSE OF THE GENERAL SOCIETY, NOR TO NEGATE THE COMMON DEFENSE (I.E. INTEGRITY OF OUR NATIONAL TERRITORY AS DEFINED BY ITS BORDERS).
Regarding our rights as Americans, we don''t have many, if any, left. If we ever did have any, they''ve beem taken away. This issue is case in point. We will be paying for these children whether we like it or not.
The people with political clout have, for the most part, been supported by a high income or inherited wealth all their lives. They have NO IDEA what it''s like to work for a wage (after taxes, etc. have been taken out) that won''t support even a single person, let alone a family; BUT they''re the ones making the decisions for those of us who do.
1. Multiculturalism presses for a pluralism of idenity rather than the "melting pot" of unity-this means increased immigration is doomed to divide and rip the nation assunder, as an increasing proportion of the nation sees themselves not as Americans first but as "Latinos" or "Chicanos" etc.
2.) Trade policy is deconstructing American industry and manufacturing, the real basis of wealth, by opening our markets continually to slave labor competition. Increasing the introduction of similar labor into the United States will rush the nation headlong into the status of India-a billion people with hostile ethnic identities in a pauperized labor market with scant industries.
As such a people, we have every JUST RIGHT to determine our immigration policy as we see fit for the security and benefit of OUR NATION and are under no obligation to accept the absconding of our territory, its opportunites and blessing, to ANYONE.
So go take your namby bamby sissy schoolboy interpretation of justice and freedom and do some real reading because your SICK interpretation of these things is NOT freedom, it isd tyranny and rule by the mob-the very thing these people flee. Americans fought tyranny from 1776 to the present. We formed a government that has been the model of the modern world. We wrote labor laws, civil rights laws. We built something worthwhile-LET THEM DO THE SAME IN THEIR OWN COUNTRY.
Again, justice means ACCORDING TO THE RULE OF LAW.
Is it just that some people have to follow the law and others can ignore the laws when it suits them? No.
Every nation in the world has the right (justice) to determine its immigration policy. We do that through democratic process. We elect legislators. they debate and vote on law (immigration policy).
Foreign nationals circumventing our democratic process is not justice, it IS INJUSTICE. Liberty is not lawlessness-that is anarchy and corruption.
They are equal-they have their cdountry we have ours. When they have BOTH, there is no equality they becomes a special class that neither has to obey our laws when it suits them and have the free reign of two countries, which we do not.
So your argument is manipulation, deciet, injustice, and corruption posing as empathy.
You are a scoundrel.
That is irrelevant. In is a logical fallacy. Because citizens ciommit crime is no reason to throw our borders open wide to the whole world and say "come on in and commit crimes.
Your argument is stupid.
about fighting on wars, I will do it for a good cause(for freedom,not for oil or goverment pourposes.)You know, where I work, there is al ot of war veterans. And you don''t Know how much I respect them, that when I talk to them I make sure they know how much I love them for what they did.You Know something! I don''t even Know how to shoot a gun. But I know how to live along with my neighborhood, I respec them,love them, and help them.If we all concentrate on this guns should be only used for sports!.You know also, there is other things to worry about like what our kids watch an do.Goverment it is worry about terrorism and sexual killings, but what do we do as nation? do we push the goverment to cancell violent movies and programs?, or to shut down sexual sites or tv channels? that is killing our country to.That destroy moral values.THIS COUNTRY WAS BUILD ON MORAL VALUES, DON''T FORGET(JUSTICE AND LIBERTY FOR ALL) ( ALL MEN WERE CREATED EQUAL )
How brave you all are!
But where were you all during WW1 WW2 Korea or Vietnam. No, those were wars fought by MEN!
crowd the enormous plaza del toros,
but only one is there who knows,
and he is the one who fights the bull!"
SO WE DON''T KEEP GETTING PEOPLE LIKE CHICABLANCA WHO PUT THE INTERESTS OF THEIR ETHNICITY ABOVE THE INTERESTS OF THE NATION.
MEXICO IS NOT ETHIOPIA OR THE SUDAN. THEY WILL NOT DIE.
ENOUGH BLISSNINNIE GOOBLY GOO. DEPORT THEM, AND INSTITUTE A POLICY OF TEN YEARS OF INCARCERATION IF THEY RENTER.
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