Left-wing pop icon Cher went after President Donald Trump by spreading fake news that his administration created a new rule to take away citizenship of children born overseas to U.S. soldiers.
“Some children of US troops born overseas will no longer get automatic American citizenship, Trump says,” Cher said on Friday, in a typically caps-heavy tweet. “WILL HIS REIGN OF TERROR EVER END?HOW MUCH ANGUISH IS HE CAPABLE OF INFLICTING ON? WISH HE’D VANISH IN PUFF OF,OR PUT IN 1 OF HIS INTERNMENT CAMPS.”
However, Cher was ill-informed and pushing fake news. Indeed, the correct information about the policy change had already become known before Cher began spreading falsehoods.
Former Vice President Joe Biden was also one of those high-profile leftists attacking the Trump administration for the policy change.
Speaking to a crowd, Biden accused Trump of “taking away automatic citizenship of children of some of our military members serving overseas.”
But after the policy was introduced, acting USCIS Director Ken Cuccinelli explained that the new rule “does NOT impact birthright citizenship,” and added, “This policy update does not deny citizenship to the children of U.S. government employees or members of the military born abroad.”
“This policy aligns USCIS process with the Department of State’s procedure, that’s it,” Cuccinelli said.
Here is who the new rules actually affect:
- Children who live with their U.S. parents abroad but who did not acquire citizenship at birth, including infants and children adopted overseas.
- Children born of non-U.S. citizens who are adopted by U.S. citizens.
- Those whose parents became U.S. citizens after the child’s birth.
- U.S. citizens who do not meet the residence or physical presence rules needed to transmit birthright citizenship, such as a person born overseas with birthright citizenship who never lived in the United States.
Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston.