Some Americans whose forebears came to the United States illegally are putting their bodies where Mitt Romney‘s mouth is: They’re deporting themselves.
So far, 36 U.S. residents who have enjoyed the benefits of what they believe is unearned citizenship have self-deported — with the help of Patriots for Self-Deportation, an organization founded in 2011 whose networks of college students have helped it build 18 U.S. chapters and six networks overseas.
Self-deportation is a concept that left political pundits scratching their heads during Monday night’s GOP debate when Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, introduced it as a means of remedying America’s leaky border.
“We’re not going to round people up the way that we have in this society, to say ‘look, people who’ve come here illegally [should] be given a transition period. … At that point they can decide whether to remain or return home,” Romney said.
Patriots for Self-Deportation staffer Emily Abraham told The Daily Caller in a telephone interview that Americans should be “looking at ourselves” and using our genealogy to determine who is — and is not — a “real American.”
Her group urges Americans to determine whether or not their foremothers and forefathers “came into this country using the proper channels.” If not, it offers to make contacts in any self-deporting citizen’s country of origin to ease their way back where their ancestors came from.
“An American patriot,” Abraham told TheDC, “is willing to give up anything for this country, even if that means leaving the United States of America.” Those who decide to self-deport, she said, need only voluntarily give up documentation that proclaims their citizenship. (RELATED: Full coverage of Mitt Romney)
Abraham said her organization is “disappointed by the response coming from politicians,” and that Romney “needs to have a much stronger stance and needs to promote a more aggressive policy.”