Later On

First, let me point out that undocumented immigrants are not criminals. They are indeed here illegally, but the law in question is civil law, not criminal law. And I don’t think the following is a rational response. Steve Benen:

Just a few weeks ago, the political fight over immigration policy was barely a blip on the national radar. Now we have a House Republican lawmaker, Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.), calling for the government to deport U.S.-born children of undocumented immigrants.

"Would you support deportation of natural-born American citizens that are the children of illegal aliens," Hunter was asked. "I would have to, yes," Hunter said. "… We simply cannot afford what we’re doing right now," he said. "… It takes more than just walking across the border to become an American citizen. It’s what’s in our souls. …"

Hunter made his comments at a "tea party" rally in the San Diego County city of Ramona over the weekend.

Let’s be real clear about this. The 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution says that those "born … in the United States" are "citizens of the United States." It also says that no state can "deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law."

For that matter, the Supreme Court ruled in 1898 that a baby born in San Francisco to Chinese immigrants was legally a U.S. citizen, even though federal law at the time denied citizenship to people from China. The court said birth in the United States constituted "a sufficient and complete right to citizenship."

What this Republican congressman is saying, then, is that he supports a policy wherein the U.S. government deports U.S. citizens based on their parents’ immigration status.

Even for the GOP, this is pretty nutty. Indeed, if American officials were planning to deport American citizens, where would the children be expected to go?