A New York Times (NYT) editor says the country’s policy of birthright citizenship — even for a U.S.-born child of illegal aliens, often referred to as an “anchor baby” — has been “enshrined in the Constitution for more than 150 years” and cannot be ended.
Last week, Trump told the media is he is “very seriously” looking at signing an executive order that will end birthright citizenship in the U.S., calling the policy “frankly ridiculous.” White House senior adviser Stephen Miller confirmed on Sunday that Trump is reviewing “all legal options” to end the “crazy” birthright citizenship policy.
To date, the U.S. Supreme Court has never explicitly ruled that the children of illegal aliens must be granted birthright citizenship, and many legal scholars dispute the idea. Despite this, New York Times editor Patrick Lyons writes that birthright citizenship cannot be ended because it is “enshrined in the Constitution.”
Lyons writes:
Does the Constitution guarantee birthright citizenship? [Emphasis added]
Yes. The 14th Amendment says, “All persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.” [Emphasis added]
…
Can the president abolish it? [Emphasis added]
No. The president cannot amend the Constitution, and an executive order trying to end or restrict the right to citizenship of persons born in the United States would almost certainly be challenged in court as a violation of the 14th Amendment. [Emphasis added]
Much like the Times, Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) — a 2020 Democrat presidential candidate — has similarly claimed that birthright citizenship is “enshrined” in the U.S. Constitution, as Breitbart News reported.
Fact Check: Kamala Harris Suggests Anchor Baby Policy Enshrined in U.S. Constitutionhttps://t.co/Hd00Uve1dU
— John Binder 👽 (@JxhnBinder) August 21, 2019
Ending birthright citizenship would carry the U.S. into the future on the issue, putting the nation more in line with similar Western countries. In the developed world, only Canada has a birthright citizenship policy as other nations have ended the policy or never had such a policy. There are at least 4.5 million anchor babies in the U.S. and nearly 300,000 anchor babies are born every year.
The sanctuary state of California is home to at least 1.2 million anchor babies under the age of 18, as Breitbart News reported. This is roughly twice the total population of Wyoming. The number of anchor babies under the age of 18 in ten U.S. states is more than four times the population of Boston, Massachusetts.
Though the establishment media has claimed that birthright citizenship is not a magnet for illegal immigration, a report published by NBC News noted that pregnant migrant women are waiting in Mexican border cities to gain entry to the U.S. in order to secure citizenship for their children.
John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter at @JxhnBinder.
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