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The one argument that never seems to pop up in this whole immigration battle is the issue of citizenship at birth - specifically for the children of our undocumented workers. If the 14th amendment were to be clarified to only grant citizenship to the children of citizens OR legal residents of the USA, that seems to me to be a huge way of reducing the appeal of migration. If the children are not automatically citizens - then the "anchor" provided by having kids to generate a legal foothold here is cut.
The fundamental principle is "you should not profit from a crime" - and gaining citizenship for your kids just because you decided to have them on this side of the border is just that - a gain from an illegal action. (The kid is not being punished either - he still has citizenship off his host country).
This would be a "third rail" issue I realize - since it strikes at the heart of how many families establish residency. But to me, at least it would give the legal immigrants - the ones that waited in line for permission - something of a reward for their patience and their "playing by the rules". At least it would stop the argument that you cannot deport the parents because all the kids are citizens.
