Wednesday, May 31, 2023

A step that's long overdue

 

I note that former President Trump has spoken out against birthright citizenship.  In this case, I think he's correct.


Former President Donald Trump pledged Tuesday to enact an executive order ending birthright citizenship guarantees for children of illegal aliens if he regains the White House in 2024, despite past constitutional objections and failures to follow through on the move.

Trump, 76, said the agenda for his second nonconsecutive term would end both birthright citizenship and so-called “birth tourism” in the US on his first day in office — a proposal he also floated before and during his first term in the Oval Office.

. . .

“My order will also end the unfair practice known as ‘birth tourism’ where hundreds of thousands of people from all over the planet squat in hotels for their last few weeks of pregnancy to illegitimately and illegally obtain US citizenship for the child, often to later exploit chain migration to jump the line and get green cards for themselves and their family members,” Trump added.

“It’s a practice that’s so horrible and so egregious, but we let it go forward. At least one parent will have to be a citizen or a legal resident in order to qualify.”


There's more at the link.

The problem is, he spoke out against it during his term in office but did nothing to stop it.  The then-Speaker of the House was adamant that it would be an unconstitutional step in the light of the 14th Amendment.  That problem could have been overcome by taking the appropriate measures, but was not further addressed.

I'm an immigrant myself, and am now a proud American citizen, but I jumped through all the legal and regulatory hoops to get there, including supporting myself while going through the process rather than relying on government aid and support.  I think it's unconscionable that so many people use this loophole to short-circuit the process.  Frankly, the United States can't afford the burden they represent on our society.  With literally hundreds of thousands of illegal aliens flooding into our country every month at present, how many of them will have children within a year or two, thereby "anchoring" themselves here despite their illegal presence?

I don't trust politicians' promises.  This one sounds good, but we've heard it before.  Will it be translated into action?  I won't hold my breath...

Peter


14 comments:

Anonymous said...

How about we don't do things that go against the plain text of the Constitution?

Dragon Lady said...

The parents of "Anchor Babies" should be given a choice -

1) Take your child back home, and when he/she turns 18, he/she can apply for permission to immigrate under a special program, or
2) The child can stay here as a citizen, but the parents are sent back so the choices are adoption or foster care.

But none of this matters as long as the border is a frickin' sieve.

Anonymous said...

I'd be okay with anyone born here having to take and pass the citizenship test at age 18 (or 21, whichever) no matter how many.of one's parents are citizens.

Old NFO said...

LONG overdue...

Peteforester said...

This would be an EXTREME case of closing the barn door after the horses got out... It's too late... America is down by the bow, with water up to the wheelhouse...

JoshO said...

Birthright citizenship needs to go away for any and everyone. The only method of obtaining full citizenship that makes sense is the Heinlein model from Starship Troopers. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVpYvV0O7uI

Aesop said...

Pity he didn't notice that sometime between 2017 and 2019, when the Republican'ts held both houses of Congress as well as the presidency.

We could have been 30M illegal aliens lighter at the stroke of a pen, and ended all the wagonloads of...um, nonsense...shoveled about the DREAM Act.

Anonymous said...

How Reagan; pretending he is an outsider, rather than the person formally hired to fix the things he believes needs fixing.

Andrew Smith said...

I would be loath to trust the mainstream media reporting of anything Trump related when you consider the bias they have exerted to date. The only reliable source is a direct statement.

Anonymous said...

Trump will never be elected after making this statement. The Hispanic vote is huge these days. They will never vote for anyone who professes they're going to take this action. Can you not see that?!

Over a dozen comments and counting and yet not one stating such an obvious observation.

oldvet1950 said...

Birthright citizenship from illegal entry makes about as much sense as being able to keep the money from a robbery if it's already in your pockets. I'd be OK with what anon @ 4:03 said - EVERYONE takes a passes a test to prove they know how our country is supposed to work before they get the rights to have a say in it.

Maniac said...

I'm an "Originalist" when it comes to the Constitution. The founding fathers didn't intend the country to accommodate tens of millions of criminaliens like this.

W Wilson said...

The general seems to forget who was speaker when Trump became president. Ryan did all he could do to screw up anything Trump wanted to do. And cocaine Mitch wasn't any better.

Aesop said...

@Anonymous 4:59,

Not so obvious.
LEGAL Hispanic Americans oppose illegal immigration by more than 80% to 20%.
And they're sick of getting lumped in with the illegals after coming here by following all the rules.

If you're worried about the illegals voting, you've just answered the question of where the problem lies in the first place, haven't you?