From the Arizona Republic:
A high-profile attempt by a handful of states to reform U.S. birthright citizenship may inflame the national discussion about immigration reform, but legal experts say it is a long shot to actually unravel the longstanding constitutional tenet that nearly all children born on U.S. soil are automatic citizens. Any state legislation also would do little, if anything, in the short term to deny citizenship to children of illegal immigrants. But legislators from Arizona and four other states unveiled legislation Wednesday that they hope will force federal courts to consider whether the 14th Amendment truly grants citizenship to U.S.-born babies of illegal immigrants. Such a legal review is not guaranteed. But keeping the issue of illegal immigration in the headlines is part of a calculated strategy for foes of comprehensive immigration reform, said Louis DeSipio, a political-science professor at the University of California,Irvine. "It is a way of continuing to focus public anger on immigration, to the degree that SB 1070 was partially designed to speak to constituents in Arizona who were upset about immigration and wanted to see policy change," he said, referring to Arizona's controversial immigration-enforcement law. "This is the next step, which is to create a national foundation for opposition to immigration and to controlling the rights of immigrants."

For the full story, please visit http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/2011/01/06/201101....