Republican Party Ninth District
Nathan Deal

In early August I had the opportunity to conduct town hall meetings across north Georgia, including visits to Fannin, Union, and Lumpkin Counties. I always enjoy these opportunities to interact directly with constituents who regularly highlight their frustrations with the problem of illegal immigration and the pressing need for immigration reform.

Since arriving in Washington in 1993, I have been outspoken in my belief that we must enforce existing immigration laws. I strongly believe that our cities, schools and hospitals have become overburdened by illegal immigrants, and on September 11th, we were witness to what can happen when there are millions of undocumented individuals within our borders.

I have been disappointed by this Congress' failure to consider real immigration reform. Two of my colleagues, Rep. Lamar Smith [R-TX] and Rep. Peter King [R-NY] have introduced, with my support, the Secure Borders FIRST Act which requires the Secretary of Homeland Security to achieve operational control of our borders and includes important measures which would stop employers from knowingly hiring or employing immigrants not eligible to work. Unfortunately, Democratic leadership has refused to allow the House to consider this and other important immigration legislation.

One critical element of our nation's immigration problem is that of birthright citizenship for the children of illegal aliens. I have introduced the Birthright Citizenship Act which clarifies that a person born in the U.S. shall only be eligible for birthright citizenship if the person is born in the United States of parents who are citizens or lawfully present.

The Constitution in the Fourteenth Amendment, a clause written to guarantee citizenship to all freed slaves, states that "all persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof are citizens of the United States." It is important to note the qualification that they must be "subject to the jurisdiction thereof." Many distinguished Constitutional scholars argue this clause was meant ensure full and complete allegiance to the United States. The intent was never to impart automatic birthright citizenship to those with no lawful connection to our nation simply because individuals willfully choose to and succeeded in violating our immigration laws.

Recent studies suggest that every year there are over 380,000 births to illegal aliens. The Department of Homeland Security has acknowledged the existence of an industry which caters to those who seek to enter our country illegally so as to secure citizenship for their yet to be born children. It is hard to deny that birthright citizenship acts as a powerful incentive to cross our borders illegally.

It is high time for Congress to act to reform our immigration laws. For too long illegal aliens have found America to be a land of entitlement while average, law abiding citizens work hard to support their families and build up their communities. We must stop rewarding the law breakers and take the appropriate steps to ensure we remain a nation of laws which rewards those who take the time and effort to enter the U.S. legally.

Nathan Deal, Gainesville, is the Congressman representing the 9th Congressional District of Georgia and a member of the 9th District Republican Party.