Ever since the passage of the 14th Amendment after the Civil War, babies born in the United States have automatically been U.S. citizens. It is the law. It is in the Constitution.
For nearly two years, some Texas counties have been denying birth certificates to children born in the U.S. to immigrant parents.State Sen. Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa from the border area near McAllen told the LA Times:
the policy is creating a “critical disadvantage” for children who have a right to access medical care, travel, school enrollment and other benefits available to U.S. citizens. “These children were born in the United States, are United States citizens and are entitled to receive their own birth certificates,” he said in a statement.
A lawsuit has been filed challenging the denial of birth certificates. “As immigration became more controversial, they just started clamping down,” attorney Jennifer Harbury of Texas RioGrande Legal Aid explained.
