Illegal Immigrants Having More Kids in U.S.

Nation: One of the perks of having automatic citizenships given to anyone who is born in America and terrible immigration enforcement.

Growing numbers of children of illegal immigrants are being born in the United States, and they are nearly twice as likely to live in poverty than those with American-born parents, a report says. The study released Tuesday by the Pew Hispanic Center highlights a growing dilemma in the immigration debate: Illegal immigrants' children born in the United States are American citizens, yet they struggle in poverty and uncertainty along with parents who fear deportation, toil largely in low-wage jobs and face layoffs in an ailing economy. The analysis by Pew, a nonpartisan research organization, found that estimated 11.9 million illegal immigrants made up 5.4 percent of the U.S. work force, primarily in lower-paying farming, construction or janitorial work. Roughly three out of four of their children -- or 4 million -- were born in the U.S. In 2003, 2.7 million children of illegal immigrants were born in this country. Overall, illegal immigrants' children account for one of every 15 students in kindergarten through 12th grade.