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Trump Vows to End Birthright Citizenship

Trump Vows to End Birthright Citizenship

According to the 14th Amendment, any baby born in the United States is automatically a citizen – even if his or her parents are illegal immigrants.

This week, Trump suggested he could end this “ridiculous” rule with an executive order:

“You can definitely do it with an act of Congress,” he said, “but now they’re saying I can do it just with an executive order.”

Like his harsh rhetoric about the caravan of migrants currently headed towards the US, Trump’s renewed call to end birthright citizenship is likely an attempt to excite his voter base ahead of next week’s elections.

But it is still an issue that needs to be addressed.

While it seems natural to grant citizenship to anyone born in the US, the policy is a magnet for illegal immigrants. It also contributes to human traffickers’ ability to manipulate families.

In 2014, roughly 7% of the 4 million babies born in the US were born to illegal immigrants. These children make their parents qualify for tax credits and can eventually sponsor foreign relatives for status themselves.

According to The Wall Street Journal, more than 50% of Republicans want to end birthright citizenship, and most Democrats and Independents would like to see it continue.

Trump did not specify how quickly he plans to act on his proposal, but officials said there wouldn’t be any decisions until after the midterm elections.

It is unclear whether Trump actually has the ability to end birthright citizenship without Congress.

“[It is] outrageous that the president can think he can override constitutional guarantees by issuing an executive order,” says Omar Jadwat, director of the Immigrants’ Rights Project at the ACLU in New York. “This is a transparent and blatantly unconstitutional attempt to sow division and fan the flames of anti-immigrant hatred in the days ahead of the midterms.”

Others insist that because the question has not been tested in the Supreme Court, Trump could direct his agencies to provide citizenship only in cases where one or both parents are domiciled immigrants or US citizens.

This week, Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said he is working on legislation “along the same lines as the proposed executive order.”

Editor’s note: I don’t believe Trump can end birthright citizenship this way, and I wouldn’t want him to. But the problem remains that illegals come into the country specifically to have their babies become citizens. Trump has started a rhetorical battle intended to take this issue to the forefront. While the Constitution may prevent him from changing this rule, he may yet find a way to address the problem.

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9 Comments

  1. Margot Lincoln

    I agree with. President. Trump we must protect our country first. We have done so much good but we can’t. fix the corruption. in other countries. The. People. must. get. a clue. Brazil . I am so.

    Happy for you.

  2. Alan

    This is a ridicules rule and our economy’s at a ruin of this continues to go on.

    We should not have any SSI or welfare that they have not paid into. The hard working Americans in this country are not responsible for there welfare period. Illegal is illegal period. Charge each country for their illegals entering illegally period. Send them back they need to pay for that as well…

  3. Larry

    The 14th has served its purpose=make sure any baby born to a slave became a citizen=it has no purpose in this day & age. TImes have changed, it is time to change the 14th. NO other country has this law. IT ONLY helps illegal immigration, which NEEDS TO BE CONTROLLED

  4. laercio

    they do not belong in the USA sent then back from where they came from whith thers illegals family

  5. Marcus

    Actually the wording of the 14th Amendment does not automatically guarantee citizenship to the children of Foreign Criminal Invaders , A first year law student could easily argue that illegal aliens are not under the Jurisdiction of The United States for the simple reason that they have illegally Invaded our Country and are not under anyone`s Jurisdiction , This clarification of the wording of the most misunderstood Amendment of The Constitution could easily be fixed by a simple one page piece of Legislation if Congress had the will to protect our country from this Foreign Invasion of Criminals and Foreign Parasites

  6. Clinton Blossey

    The 14th makes no mention of illegal immigrants. It was written with do respect to/for freed black slaves. The Nationality of a child born here is that of the Mother…period! “Dems”, are you trying to tell me that if a pregnant Canadian woman happens to be vacationing in Florida and gives birth early, in Florida, that child is automatically an American citizen…??? A member of Nixon’s “Silent Majority”.

  7. mario mayorga

    These persons are invaders , China has the Great Wall to prevent them to enter.

  8. Yen Nguyen

    I agree with President Trump.

  9. Pete Estrada

    I agree if you are an illegal all your offspring is in the same category .This problem should have been stopped along time ago, but how does that effect the current babies that are now us citizens. And why are they authorized to bring over some of their families?

  1. Sorry Tom, but you missed it on your response. This is yet another tome showing the ignorance of the writer.…