U.S. Immigration Less Strict Than the Rest of the World

Global immigration research has revealed that the United States is one of only 30 countries that currently grant automatic birthright citizenship to the children of undocumented immigrants. Overall, the U.S. is an exception to the overall trend of tight immigration policies.

The Center for Immigration Studies’ author of Birthright Citizenship: A Global Comparison, Jon Freere, reported that the U.S. and Canada are the only advanced economy countries that offer birthright citizenship, and said the 14th Amendment’s Citizenship Clause was never put in place to benefit unauthorized immigrants.

The Pew Hispanic Center’s recent release reported that about 1 of every 13 babies born in the United States were born to at least one parent that was an unauthorized immigrant.

Last month, a Quinnipiac University poll claimed that 48 percent of U.S. voters believe birthright citizenship laws should be changed, while 45 percent believe the opposite, and 67 percent of Republican voters would like to see the current policy changed.