Critics Accuse GA Congressman of Grandstanding on Immigration

By Odette Yousef

Atlanta, GA – Immigrant advocates say that a new proposal by Georgia Congressman Nathan Deal is nothing more than a ploy to raise his profile in the gubernatorial race. Deal claims that the 14th amendment of the Constitution needs clarification he says it was never meant to grant citizenship to children of illegal immigrants born in the U.S.

WABE's Odette Yousef reports.

The congressman says he just wants to restore the original intent of the constitution.

DEAL: It was originally the purpose of the 14th Amendment to give citizenship status to people who, prior to the Emancipation Proclamation, had lived in slavery. And it was not intended to be used as it is currently being used to grant citizenship to children of parents who are illegally in our country.

The Birthright Citizenship Act of 2009 would limit citizenship to children who have at least one parent here legally. To pass, Deal says it would take a majority of the U.S. House, Senate, and the president's signature.

DEAL: The likelihood is that it would be included in a major package of legislative reform. Obviously it could move as a separate bill, if we had the sufficient votes to do that. Right now we don't have those votes.

Which is why critics say it's nothing more than grandstanding.]

GONZALES: He has proposed this multiple times before. It's not going anywhere in the current Congress. So obviously this becomes a transparent political ploy on his part to try to generate attention to his gubernatorial campaign.

That's Jerry Gonzales of the Georgia Association of Latino Elected Officials.

Deal is one of a crowd of Georgia Republicans vying for the governor's office.

Gonzales refutes the notion that people are sneaking across the border to have so-called "anchor babies" - children who, when they get older, can sponsor their families' immigration to the U.S. He says Deal should know better.

GONZALES: A large percentage of the poultry workers in his district are Latino and have contributed to the growth and development of Gainesville, and again, that's what they come here for, for the jobs that are in his district, in his poultry plants.

Deal would rather have the U.S. Supreme Court clear up the language in the 14th amendment, but no such case exists.

If the bill passes, there may be.

Odette Yousef, WABE News.