Will re-introduce Arizona-style immigration reform measure
Newly appointed as the majority chair of the House State Government Committee, state Rep. Daryl Metcalfe (R-Butler) was in Washington D.C. Tuesday to protest against birthright citizenship for children born to illegal aliens.
Mr. Metcalfe was joined by state lawmakers from across the nation at the event organized by the State Legislators for Legal Immigration (SLLI), which Mr. Metcalfe helped to found.
The rally was the kick-off for a nationally coordinated effort to have the U.S. Supreme Court re-examine a long-held interpretation of the 14th Amendment. Lawmakers who attended the rally intend to form a state “compact” asking Congress to authorize the nation’s highest court to determine whether all babies born in the United States should qualify as citizens.
“According to the 14th Amendment, the primary requirements for U.S. citizenship are dependent on total allegiance to America, not mere physical geography,” said Mr. Metcalfe. He said birthright citizenship to children of illegal aliens costs American taxpayers $113 billion annually, including $1.4 billion in Pennsylvania alone.
The 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was passed in 1868 and granted U.S. citizenship to all people born in the country, ensuring equal protection under the law. Previously, freed slaves had been denied the right to become citizens.
The ACLU of Pennsylvania called on state lawmakers to reject Mr. Metcalfe’s efforts at denying citizenship to children born of illegal immigrants because the proposal would require all citizens to prove their status in order to receive a birth certificate for their children.
Andy Hoover, spokesperson for the Pennsylvania ALCU, said Mr. Metcalfe’s bill violates the premise of equal protection under the law.
“The 14th Amendment provides protection from discrimination and ensures that citizenship is not prone to political whims of the day,” said Mr. Hoover. “Metcalfe’s bill is unconstitutional and would certainly be challenged and rejected, if it somehow became law.”
State Rep. Daryl Metcalfe (R-Butler)
Mr. Metcalfe hopes this will not be the last time you hear about him during the new session.
Last year, he made headlines by introducing legislation similar to the law passed in Arizona which authorized police offices to request proof of citizenship for any individuals suspected of breaking the law.
This year, the outspoken lawmaker is the newly appointed majority chair of the House State Government Committee and plans to use the position to push a number of immigration reforms, including a re-introduction of the Arizona-style bill.
Mr. Metcalfe said state Rep. Babette Josephs (D-Philadelphia), now the minority chair of the committee, had “bottled up” his legislation over the last four years when she was the majority chair.
“I think this really improves our chances to advance this legislation,” said Mr. Metcalfe, though he conceded immigration reform ranks well behind the legislative leaders’ top priorities in 2011.
The House State Government Committee is also charged with redrawing legislative and Congressional districts this year, which is likely to take a significant amount of time.
Mr. Metcalfe said immigration reform is a critical issue for Pennsylvania, despite the state’s location so far from the United States-Mexico border.
Last year, the Associated Press published a lengthy report describing the cross-county trek of a family of illegal immigrants who were fleeing Arizona in the wake of the legal crackdown. Their destination was Pennsylvania, after being advised by relatives the state was particularly friendly toward illegal workers.
According to a report released last year by the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), there are an estimated 140,000 illegal immigrants in Pennsylvania, including 48,500 children. The FAIR report ranked Pennsylvania as having the 16th highest concentration of illegal immigrants.
