US: Reject proposal to mark birth certificates

A woman holds flags as she joins an immigrant rights demonstration in Chicago.

Human Rights Watch:

State Lawmakers’ Plan Would Discriminate Against Citizens Based on Parents’ Status

(New York) - State legislatures in the United States should reject a proposal to mark birth certificates of US citizens on the basis of their parents' immigration status, which would violate the internationally protected right to equal protection, Human Rights Watch said today.

The proposal made on January 5, 2011, by the group State Legislators for Legal Immigration, calls for states to enact laws to make a distinction among children who are US citizens when issuing birth certificates. With approval from the US Congress, states would be able to mark the birth certificates of children born in the US to parents who are not citizens or not entitled to live permanently in the United States differently than the birth certificates of other children who are US citizens.

"International law, as well as US law, requires governments to guarantee equal treatment under the law," said Alison Parker, US program director at Human Rights Watch. "This invidious proposal seeks to thwart that cherished right."

Continue reading here.