I was watching an interview with Farley yesterday, where he made that point: Ford had invested in replacing USian workers and factories with Mexican, based on NAFTA and USMCA, and it was unfair to have that tariff free status taken away.
Steve
Immigration is a complex subject with many shades of gray. Each may require separate rules.
I think the birthright discussion is mostly about citizenship for children born to illegal immigrants and especially commercial services that bring pregnant women to the US so their child is a citizen.
Immigration law gives preference to relatives of citizens. Baby born in US gives relatives preference in legal immigration quotas.
Re: How do you know that
When laws or amendments are enacted in Congress the debates in Congress are routinely cited in court on the intent of those who voted for it.
What was the value of citizenship in 1865? For slaves it indicated you belonged in the US and could not be deported to Africa, etc. For most it gave you the right to get a passport and little else.
During âmanifest destinyâ the US strongly encouraged and welcomed immigrants to occupy and claim western expansion.
That is the official reason, because it is one that most people, including me, would agree with. But what of the people who were adopted, and cannot obtain their original birth certificate? What of the people who donât know where they were born, and their parents have passed? What of the people who diverge from the âgovernment approved lifestyleâ, and did not come from a married for life, hetro couple, that kept records?
I have told the story before, how my grandmother was kidnapped, as a small child, by a woman who then skipped across the state line, married my great grandfather, under an assumed name, and passed my grandmother off as her own. How would anyone obtain a birth certificate in a scenario like that?
Steve
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[quote=âpauleckler, post:23, topic:113151â]
What was the value of citizenship in 1865?
Quite a lot. It wasnât just slaves. See the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 which was designed specifically to disallow naturalization.
Chinese Exclusion Act: 1882, Definition & Immigrants | HISTORY.
In the 1850s, Chinese, like black people, were not allowed to testify in court. The also had to pay illegal taxes.
Crossing the border without permission has been a crime for less than 100 years.
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True dat. History.com has lots of info on timelines and whatnot.
Many immigration laws have racist origins. Who knew?
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That is why talking about it is a thought crime today.
Steve
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Speaking of which, apparently openly racist behavior is now acceptable.
Steve
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Only if he isnât a âbad dudeââŚ
Geez, stuff is getting complicated.
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Popular demand? SoS
Things wonât look like this in 2026.
Awesome, now weâre going to make decisions based on Nitwitter polls.
âPollsâ taken only among the âright thinkingâ people. âWrong thinkingâ does not have a voice.
ripped from the headlines*
Steve
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Re: your grandmother
In Missouri birth certificates were optional until 1927. Many did not bother to obtain one. Used mostly for a passport or to prove a forgotten heir for an estate. They became important only after Social Security to prove age.
Now days everyone has a birth certificate and most children have Social Security numbers.
Before birth certificates many got Social Security based on church baptism record or certifying letters from relatives. There probably are work arounds for the situations you name. Legal immigrants and naturalized citizens probably have their own documents.
Until I have my paternal grandparentâs immigration dox in hand, I am hoping for some sort of limit on antecedent âlook backâ, like 100 years. Records seem to get especially sketchy prior to 1900.
Steve
Family tree researchers can find all sorts of early records when you look. Census records beginning in 1850 lists all names, place and date of birth. In Germany state birth record go back to the time of Napoleonâabt 1803. The Roman Catholic Church began recording baptisms after the Council of Trent ending the 30 Years War abt 1650. Some areas started sooner.
And much info is still in dusty old records stored in court houses across the land.
Lots to be discovered when you go digging. Much now available and searchable on Ancestry.com.
My aunt compiled a lot of that information. When she died, I gave the crate to my other aunt. She has since moved to her sonâs in North Carolina. There is a difference, to the official eye, between church and hospital records, and official, government certified, documents. I have told the story before, how, when I tried to upgrade my driverâs license to a âreal IDâ, the birth certificate that the Navy found perfectly acceptable, was rejected.
Steve
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In research family tree researchers routinely find conflicts. Records can be imprecise. Person reporting to census taker may have guessed. Birth certificates of old may have been issued by county clerk and might certify whatever you say is correct.
Modern govt maintained birth records should be accurate. But no doubt there are exceptions such as name changes, not to mention gender changes.
Iâll say. I found my maternal grandparentâs marriage certificate on line. It shows grandmotherâs maiden name in accordance with the name given by her kidnapper. But, my momâs birth certificate, two years later, shows grandmother with a different maiden name. That other last name is the same as a man who was in the town where grandmother and grandfather grew up. My aunt, who was doing the genealogical research, mentioned that man once or twice, when discussing her research, but I was not clear how he fit into everything. That aunt died 14 years ago, so I canât ask her.
Steve