Various Republican legislators expressed their support for altering the 14th Amendment of the United States Constitution, so that the U.S.-born children of undocumented parents would not be able to obtain citizenship. They reason that immigrants are motivated to come to the United States so that their children can be born citizens.

"Thousands of people flood hospitals along the border with the aim of giving birth to children," Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, of South Carolina, told The Post and Courier.

"They pay between $2,500 and $5,000 to slip into the country and have children that will become citizens. It's an incentive, but it is only a part of the problem," she said.

In the past, Graham was the only Republican senator to support immigration reform.

"Citizenship by birth is a mistake. I don't know of any other country that allows it. If you go on vacation to England or France, children that are born there don't automatically get citizenship," she asserted.

Graham said she plans to introduce a bill that would alter Amendment 14 of the Constitution, which grants citizenship "to all persons born or naturalized in the United States."

Jon Kyl, a Republican senator from Arizona, and Mitch McConnell, a Republican senator from Kentucky, agreed with Graham.

"The children of illegal aliens cost state governments a lot of money in education and healthcare," said Kyl.

In order for the 14th Amendment to be changed, two thirds of the House of Representatives and the Senate would need to vote for it, and it would have to be ratified by 39 of the 52 states.

Although it isn't very probable that the amendment will be altered, political analysts project that Republican legislators aim to garner public support for the upcoming elections in November.

Virginia's law

Police in the state of Virginia have authority similar to that of the police in Arizona; they can ask people whom they detain or arrest about their legal status.

Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli said that law enforcement officials are only allowed to ask people questions in connection with criminal matters; however, the power to ask immigrants if they are in the country legally does not extend to civil offenses such as zoning infractions, even if local authorities are collaborating with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

"The authority to arrest an individual clearly applies where there is a criminal offense," said Attorney General Cuccinelli. He added, "It is definitely confusing when it comes to civil infractions. Therefore, we advise police that if they do not have an agreement with ICE, they should not make arrests."

Concern in Virginia

Organizations that support immigrants, such as the League of United Latin American Citizens, or LULAC, have expressed their concern.

LULAC Communications Director Lizette Olmos at, in an interview with voanoticias.com, acknowledged, "This is exactly what we do not want to happen in other states, following what has already happened in Arizona with regards to the state immigration law, which achieved a partial victory."

LULAC representatives are in contact with the United States Department of Justice so that they can "continue to prevent these types of measures from passing."

Pro-immigrant organizations are particularly worried about Attorney General Cuccinelli. "He could do something similar," said Olmos. "Our lawyers are following the news. Although it isn't mandatory to ask people about their legal status, police can still do so when a person gets stopped on the street or arrested."

In fact, police are "already doing it in places like Prince Williams, and the practice might spread throughout the entire state of Virginia. However, police must be trained and that is something that still hasn't happened."

Lizette Olmos added, "I've already put my passport in my wallet in case I have to answer those types of questions. I now see more police in Alexandria, Virginia, right across from Washington, D.C."

Immigrants have been alerted to "not speak with police if they feel that their rights are being violated, and to get in touch with one of our associations so that we can help them," stated Olmos.