"An accident of birth (or job assignment) isn't what citizenship is all about."

Yaser Esam Hamdi was seized as an enemy combatant and taken into control of the United States military in Afghanistan, after the Taliban unit he was with surrendered. The military determined that Hamdi should be detained as an enemy combatant with potential intelligence value. Hamdi was transported by the United States military from Afghanistan to the Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Upon discovery of records indicating Hamdi was born in Louisiana, he was deemed a citizen of the United States by virtue of said birth, and transferred to the Naval Brig in Norfolk, Virginia, where he is currently detained.

After careful consideration, FILE believes the U.S. government should reclassify Hamdi as a Saudi national and return him to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Such legal status would relieve the government of the burden of prosecuting Mr. Hamdi as an American. Furthermore, such reclassification would more closely reflect the true nature of the situation: Mr. Hamdi is not an American in any real sense of the word, and is, legally, a citizen of Saudi Arabia and a captured foreign enemy combatant.

FILE believes the custom of granting birthright citizenship to children born in the United States to illegal aliens, temporary workers, and tourists is supported neither by the Fourteenth Amendment nor by legal precedent.

In a world of frightening new dangers and ominous demographic realities (See: "New Breed of Islamic Warrior Is Emerging - Immigration as a Weapon!" Wall Street Journal, March 29, 2004) it is time to reassess this custom. We would be unwise and irresponsible as a free and democratic people to neglect to finally address the true meaning and intent of the Citizenship Clause. The case of Yaser Esam Hamdi provides a historic and excellent opportunity to do just that.

FILE is working to rectify the erroneous classification of Mr. Hamdi as a citizen of the United States. In this effort, we know we have the overwhelming support of the American people.