"You have a choice, Citizen: give us a sample of your DNA. Or pay a fine of $200,000."

That's the outcome of Ron Paul's immigration policies. Don't see it? Read on...

Wendy has already commented on Paul's alarming campaign ad, where he mentions wishing to eliminate "birthright citizenship." That requires a Constitutional amendment, but changing the sacred Constitution is OK with Paul if it advances his agenda.

Here's the proposed amendment, from H.J. Res 46

`Section 1. Any person born after the date of the ratification of this article to a mother and father, neither of whom is a citizen of the United States nor a person who owes permanent allegiance to the United States, shall not be a citizen of the United States or of any State solely by reason of birth in the United States.

`Section 2. The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.'.


Let's consider the practical impact. Right now, a doctor signs a birth certificate that says child X was born in location Y. This is simple, and well within the doctor's (or other witness') ability to attest. But under the Paul plan, the birth certificate must also attest to the citizenship of (one of) the parents. How? Paul doesn't say.

I presume that the "appropriate legislation" will work the same way it has for employers. The hospital will be required to get a Social Security number and run that through a national database to verify that either the mother or the father is a citizen. Did you carry your SS card with you the last time you needed hospital treatment?

Well, ok, let's say that the parents can provide the identification some reasonable time after the birth. That still puts the burden of proof on the hospital. Here are some foreseeable consequences:

1. Because Social Security numbers are so easy to fake (or buy), this will create an added impetus for a more comprehensive national ID. Yes, friends, the Paul plan will lead us to Real ID.

2. As with all government databases, there is a percentage of error. Right now, if a citizen is falsely tagged "non-citizen", he might lose a job. Under the Paul plan, a child born in the U.S. to parents who are U.S. citizens could be denied citizenship for life because of computer error. (Good luck getting that straightened out.)

3. Verifying citizenship will place a burden of cost and responsibility on the hospital. And I doubt very much that just anyone will be allowed to sign off on a newborn's citizenship. This will be the final nail in the coffin for midwifery -- anyone desiring their child to be a citizen had damned well better go to the government-approved hospital. (I note in passing that Dr. Paul is a former OB/GYN. I'm sure he and his colleagues would consider this a desirable consequence.)

But back to my main point: this amendment will create an enormous incentive for paternity fraud.

Imagine that you're Alicia from Mexico, wishing your child to be a U.S. citizen. You know about the new rules. So the first thing you do is show up at the hospital alone. When they ask you who the father is, you simply provide them the name of a U.S. citizen.

In many U.S. jurisdictions, that alone is sufficient to establish presumptive paternity. So now Joe Blow has to prove that he is not the father of the child. And as many men's rights activists are aware, that's not an easy thing to do. (In one famous case, a man had to pay support for years for a child that never existed.)

If Joe is lucky, he'll live in one of the states where DNA evidence is accepted to disprove paternity. (Not all states allow this.) But then he has to face a choice: provide a DNA sample to the government -- which they would never think of keeping on file, oh no, perish the thought -- or leave himself open to paying 18 years' child support -- which the government will enthusiastically collect by force if Alicia manages to collect welfare or use other services.

"You have a choice, Citizen: give us a sample of your DNA. Or pay a fine of $200,000....in easy monthly payments for the next 18 years."

Of course, if Alicia is smart, she'll arrange to give birth in one of the states where DNA evidence cannot overturn a paternity claim. Tough luck, Joe.

I haven't even touched upon the added incentives this provides for identity theft. If you haven't been guarding your Social Security number, you'd better start -- because a valid SS# with a matching name will be a valuable commodity to the Alicias seeking a better life for their children.