The immigration debate has once again sparked discussion by some on the extreme right of the 14th amendment to the US Constitution. The 14th Amendment, adopted after the Civil War and the emancipation of the slaves, restated a fundamental principal of American civil rights that had been temporarily erased by the Supreme Court’s “Dred Scott” decision, which denied birthright citizenship to the U.S.-born children of slaves. The amendment restored the right that people born in this county are citizens of the United States. The Immigration Policy Center has a number of resources on their web site to help readers better understand the history and purpose of the 14th Amendment as well as the current debate surrounding undocumented immigrants. Check it out at http://www.immigrationpolicy.org/just-facts/defending-fourteenth-amendment.