Posted on 06/10/2010 7:08:16 PM PDT by OldDeckHand
A New York hotel is staking its claim to have invented a new hospitality niche – birth tourism. The Marmara Manhattan offers “an exclusive package for new mothers that wish to give birth in the USA”, with the additional bonus of the newborn child gaining US citizenship.
The hotel, which is part of the Turkish hospitality chain, exploits the 14th amendment to the US constitution, which states that all children born on American soil “are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside”.
The Marmara Manhattan, which is located in New York’s Upper East Side, told The Times: “What we offer is simply a one-bedroom suite accommodation for $5,100, plus taxes, for a month, with airport transfer, baby cradle and a gift set for the mother.” There are also medical fees of about £20,500.
However the price is a cheap and easy one to pay for US citizenship. Many will eventually use the newborn - known as an “anchor baby” - as a stepping stone for the immigration of extended family.
The hotel has so far sold 15 of the packages.
According to the US Citizenship and Immigration Services, the practice is entirely legal as long as the women can pay their medical bills.
However there are noises being made in Washington to close the loophole. Gary Miller, a Republican congressman, told The Times: “They come to this country and have babies. The children are citizens. The children are eligible to go to school.
They receive food stamps and social programmes. The American taxpayers are paying for it.
Key source markets include Hong Kong, South Korea and Turkey, where a number of travel agencies specialise in the birth tourism market.
“Many people say they are doing it because they want their kids to get a cheaper education and not deal with visa issues when they grow up,” said Levant Bas, of the Istanbul-based operator Gurib Tourism. “We have a package that covers everything from the flight and city tours to accommodation for several months and hospital expenses.
I can't believe a great majority of Americans aren't completely against this kind of crap.
I think it is a fantastic idea.
Because it will get some of our congressmen off their asses and get the 14th changed, repealed or modified by law.
What a tragedy it would be if that hotel burned to the ground.
To bad Obama’s Mama could not have taken advantage of this.
This is news?
South Koreans have been doing this since the end of the Korean war, for pete’s sake!
Families that can afford and pay $30K medical bills aren’t a threat to our budget, let’s be honest.
Those that come and give birth at our expense are.
This country is just too damn stupid to survive. Uncle Sam is now Uncle Sap.
No other other country on earth puts up with this corruption.
Don't you realize that what we think and want anymore does not matter.
America belongs to the world...wrestled from those greedy White people who founded it.
Perhaps not. But, they certainly could be a threat to our national security. I would point out that this is a Turkish owned hotel change. I would also point out that one of the flotilla thugs was a man who was born in the US to Turkish parents who were here getting an education. He left at the age of two, never to return. But, he is considered a US citizen, or so has been claimed in media reports.
A genuine US passport is a VERY valuable commodity, especially to people who wish to do us harm.
The operative word here is subject to the jurisdiction and were born.
hotel change = hotel chain
Yes, I am aware of the comments on this subject by the Amendments principle authors. Unfortunately, their opinions have been mooted by the opinions of several Supreme Court decisions. While there are some constitutional scholars and attorneys that believe this could be remedied with simple legislation, I would say that the prevailing wisdom, even in conservative legal think-tanks, is that it will take a constitutional amendment to fix, at this point.
I've read most of the articles in the legal journals. I'm not saying that they aren't without merit, but so long as Kennedy is on the Court instead of a more orthodox conservative, I think that as a practical matter, it's going to take a Constitutional Amendment.
Based on the intent of the framers of the Fourteenth Amendment, some believe that Congress could exercise its Section 5 powers to prevent the children of illegal aliens from automatically becoming citizens of the United States. An effort in 1997 failed in the face of intense political opposition from immigrant rights groups. Apparently, the question remains open to the determination of the political and legal processes.
Edward Erler is Professor of Political Science at California State University, San Bernadino.
Korea has universal, cumpulsory military service (draft). Wealthy (and some not so wealthy) Koreans have been having their babies in LA or Honolulu just in case there might be a shooting war 18-25 years down the road.
OldDeck,
They are Pakistanis and Saudis coming by the thousands these days in USA. I understand your point, but an Abdullah all he has to do is marry to an American Muslim and everything is Ok. There is no need to plan 20 years ahead, and hope that Jihad Jr born in USA will live up to his name.
A US citizenship to third world countries is what an Ivy League diploma is to most Americans.
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