Trump Claims He Can End Birthright Citizenship Via Executive Order
Photo Credit: Photo courtesy of Getty Images

Photo Credit: Photo courtesy of Getty Images

Trump Claims He Can End Birthright Citizenship Via Executive Order

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Sharelle Burt
Sharelle Burt Oct 30, 2018

Donald J. Trump is still up to his antics.

 

In an exclusive new interview with Axios, the 45th President of the United States promises to stop giving birthright citizenship for babies born to illegal parents. According to the US Constitution, however, “all persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States.”

 

In this dramatic claim, of course, Trump didn’t say when he would sign the order. But the issue isn’t based on whether Trump signs the order or not. It’s more about Trump’s open attack on immigration laws, which has become one of the key factors for voters as they head to the polls for midterms next week.

 

Just yesterday, in an interview with his favorite news outlet Fox News, the president vowed to construct tent cities to house migrants traveling through Mexico to the US southern border. His administration announced the deployment of 5,200 troops to protect the border as the “caravan” continues to advance. He also warned of an “invasion” of undocumented immigrants if the border isn’t sealed with a wall. While he’s no stranger to heating up the country with this rhetoric, the issue of taking away a citizens birthrights is taking his issue with immigration to another level.

 

Other countries, like Canada, have a policy of birthright citizenship, according to an analysis by the Center for Immigration Studies, who advocates for reducing immigration. However, Trump claims the US is the only country abiding by this rule. “We’re the only country in the world where a person comes in, has a baby, and the baby is essentially a citizen of the United States for 85 years with all of those benefits,” Trump said in his HBO interview. “It’s ridiculous. It’s ridiculous. And it has to end.”

 

If this order is put into place, Trump should prepare for a fight. The Supreme Court would immediately challenge this just like his previous immigration executive orders. Last year, Trump came under fire when he attempted to ban citizen entry from Muslim-majority countries and at the same time, ridiculed Barack Obama for taking executive actions blocking some young undocumented immigrants from deportation, calling it “a presidential overstep.”

 

What a joke. Some have already spoken out against the President’s claims. Omar Jadwat, director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s Immigrants’ Rights Project said: “The President cannot erase the Constitution with an executive order, and the 14th Amendment’s citizenship guarantee is clear.”

 

“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.”

 

Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia believes Trump can speak on the issue but knows that it just isn’t reality. “This is simply an attempt for Donald Trump, who wants to do anything possible to bring back fears around immigration, to use that as a political tool in this last week before the election,” Warner said. “This is again, where a President’s words matter. The Constitution is quite clear that no one, including the President of the United States, is above the law.”

 

The president, of course, didn’t provide any details of his plan but said that “it’s in the process. It’ll happen.”
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