Wednesday, September 23, 2015

"Birth Tourism" Comes to Bellevue

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Residents in the upscale Newcastle Golf Course area of Bellevue became suspicious about a couple of homes on their street.

Doug Wiviott, who lives on 155th Ave. SE, says, "We noticed there were a lot of pregnant women around all the time, and we thought that was a little strange."

What Doug and other neighbors were seeing is indeed strange. It's also likely illegal.


King 5 TV reports, "What neighbors were seeing were the outward signs of what may be the first business of its kind detected in Washington State."

In fact there were 2 so-called "maternity houses" in the neighborhood, both operated by Fu Hua Enterprises, LLC.

"Birth Tourism" provides for wealthy foreigners to come to America and give birth to their child, then claim American citizenship under the 14th Amendment to the Constitution ---thus exploiting the generosity of American citizens and prosperity of this great country, without contributing to it.

I wrote about this practice in Los Angeles earlier this year. Now it has come to Bellevue.

Jung, the former house manager for Fu Hua Enterprises, says each house could accommodate up to 4 pregnant women.

He says they charged $45,000 for a 3 month stay. This did not include medical costs.

The women have been giving birth at local medical clinics or hospitals, most often paying with cash.

In Los Angeles, many of the wealthy women claim financial hardship and pay a small fraction of the cost of giving birth to their child with welfare picking up the balance---or the clinic simply discounting the cost of their services.

Jung says the clients of their "maternity houses" did not apply for welfare or Medicaid.

These "birth" services are strongly advertised in China and elsewhere in Asia.

The promotional message is the advantages of US citizenship; an inside track on education at American schools and colleges, and the ability to bring family members into the country on green cards.

Experts say having a US citizen in a family also carries a good deal of prestige in China.

Jung and another former employee both say owner Ming "Jenifer" Sun coached clients to lie to immigration authorities about why they were traveling to the United States.

He said they were told, "If an officer asks if you're going to deliver a baby, say 'no'."

He says Sun taught women how to obtain tourism or business visas to enter the US, and how to conceal their pregnancies with clothes so that they wouldn't be detected by customs officers at US airports.

"Jennifer" Sun claims she has shut the business down. Jung says he doubts that she has. She has probably relocated it.

Doug Wiviott says, "Calls to the Bellevue City Hall, the police department and the US Department of Homeland Security did no good."

"Nobody really wanted to deal with it, so we dealt with it as a home owners association," he says.

Federal authorities in Seattle say they were not aware of it, but are now investigating to see if criminal violations have occurred.

Wiviott says, "We pay our federal taxes and want our kids to go to state colleges, etc., etc. The whole thought of them coming over here and competing with our kids without paying any taxes...definitely bothered us."

A lot of people are beginning to feel "bothered" by those who seek to take advantage of America and its citizens.

Many are also asking if the 14th Amendment to the Constitution actually does grant birthright citizenship to children of foreigners---legal or illegal.

Ken Klukowski is a practicing constitutional attorney.

He says it absolutely does not.

In an in depth article last month he explains, "Media commentators have gotten this issue dead wrong." And they're misleading the public.

He cites one example: Fox News' Judge Andrew Napolitano has been telling the public that the 14th Amendment is "very clear" and that its Citizenship Clause commands that any child born in America is automatically an American citizen.

Klukowski says Napolitano is wrong---"That's not the law. It has never been the law."

He cites this phrase from the Citizenship Clause of the 14th Amendment: "All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and the State wherein they reside."

He says the confusion of today turns on these 6 words: "and subject to the jurisdiction thereof."

Klukowski explains how the 13th Amendment, which ended slavery, barely passed Congress because many Democrats still supported slavery. Only because of President Lincoln's political skill and resolve did it pass.

He explains how in 1866 Congress passed a Civil Rights Act to guarantee black Americans their Constitutional rights as citizens, but many voted against the Act because they believed it exceeded Congress' powers.

It was about the slaves. It was addressing the infamous Dred Scott decision which declared that black people were not American citizens.

Klukowski notes, "A person who is 'subject to the jurisdiction' of the United States is a person who is 'not subject to any foreign power'---that is, a person who is entirely native to the United States, not the citizen or subject of any foreign government. The same members of Congress who voted for the Thirteenth Amendment in 1865 then voted to define citizenship for freed slaves in a federal law in 1866, then voted again months later in 1866---using only slightly different language---to put that definition of citizenship in the Constitution, language that was ultimately ratified by the states in 1868 as the Fourteenth Amendment."

He says, "Under Article I, Section 8, Clause 4 of the Constitution, Congress has absolute power to make laws for immigration and for granting citizenship to foreigners---and the power to change them."

Klukowski finds media confusion on this issue puzzling in that the greatest legal minds in this country have discussed the issue and they all reject the myth of birthright citizenship.

However, this narrative does not fit the secular progressive agenda, and is seldom, if ever, brought to the public.

The conclusion: "Denying citizenship to the children of illegal aliens is fully consistent with the Constitution's Fourteenth Amendment."

This being true, it is inconceivable that tourists can drop in, have a baby, then claim citizenship with all its benefits.

"Birthright Citizenship" is a creation of the secular progressive and, unfortunately, the religious left in too many cases.

Ken Klukowski, Dr. John Eastman of Chapman University and the godfather of constitutional law, former Attorney General of the United States Edwin Meece, all reject the myth of birthright citizenship.

Christ has called all who follow Him to reach out in love and compassion, however, He has never called us to purposefully destroy the most generous, giving country in the history of the world.

Neither has He called us to ignorance. Or confusion.

It is written, "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge."

It is also written: "God is not the author of confusion."

I strongly encourage you to read his complete article. It is very informative.

Be Informed. Be Vigilant. Be Discerning. Be Prayerful.