by Brian Bilbray

About the author: Brian Bilbray is a congressional representative from California.

In the debate surrounding strengthening our immigration laws in order to reduce illegal immigration, citizenship is a pivotal concept.

Its importance was underscored by adoption of a “citizenship plank” as part of the Republican Party platform in 1996. The plank closely resembles federal legislation that I introduced in Congress in 1995 to eliminate the automatic citizenship status currently granted to the children of illegal immigrants born in the United States.

Clear definition of who is a citizen and who is a non-citizen of the United States is the foundation upon which rests this country’s national sovereignty. This is a debate I believe we can expect to revisit now that the Democratic National Convention is under way...