Revising the 14th amendment

It might be a good idea to revise the criteria for birthright citizenship someday, but not right now and not because of “anchor babies”. The argument is that (contrary to established immigration law) we are going to be intimidated into granting immediate citizenship to the relatives of a baby who obtained its own citizenship by being born here. That we will wilt in the face of the claim that if we do not give citizenship to illegal aliens who have a citizen baby, then we are “tearing families apart” and worse we are: “ripping babies from their mother’s arms”. I don’t doubt that the case will be made and I don’t doubt that the media will be unable to resist playing up such an emotional appeal. But the proper response to that “argument” is: “No we are not doing anything to families because the parents have the right to choose. They can take the child with them.” If our policy making procedures cannot overcome that kind of emotionalism, then we cannot be saved by a constitutional amendment.