Examining The 14th Amendment: Part of the GOP's Immigration Agenda?

After other prominent Republicans suggested repealing the 14th amendment--which gives citizenship rights to children born in the United States--Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has said he's on board with examining it. Under Republican Chairman Lamar Smith, the House Judiciary Committee endorsed rolling back the 14th amendment in the 1990s, and Sen. John Cornyn Sen. Jon Kyl said in an interview on Sunday that he thinks it's time to stop giving citizenship to children of illegal immigrants. Sen. Lindsey Graham and Jon Kyl have has made a similar call. But McConnell's endorsement for hearings signals that the GOP leadership wants to spend time on the issue. McConnell tell The Hill:

In an interview, McConnell said the 14th Amendment provision should be reconsidered in light of the country's immigration problem.

McConnell stopped short of echoing Graham's call for repeal of the amendment.

"I think we ought to take a look at it -- hold hearings, listen to the experts on it," McConnell said. "I haven't made a final decision about it, but that's something that we clearly need to look at. Regardless of how you feel about the various aspects of immigration reform, I don't think anybody thinks that's something they're comfortable with."

This article available online at:

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2010/08/examining-the-14th-amendment-part-of-the-gops-immigration-agenda/60844/