Birthright Citizenship Is Fundamental to "Who We Are as a Nation." So Why Do Republicans Attack It?

[Jilly_in_VA]

ISABELA DIAS

In early July, CNN’s Abby Phillip confronted Republican presidential candidate and biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy about his position on birthright citizenship, the constitutional principle derived from the 14th Amendment that makes it possible for children born in the United States to automatically become citizens. When asked if he would end that long-standing tradition, Ramaswamy said “it would be necessary” because of the high levels of migration to the Southern border. “If migrants are coming illegally, intentionally to be able to establish an illegal toehold in the United States,” he said, “then I think that’s something we should not abide in this country.”

Aside from not appearing to understand that seeking asylum is not illegal, Ramaswamy also didn’t acknowledge the obvious irony of his position. As Phillip noted, he is the son of Indian immigrants. “You are saying that, even though birthright citizenship for you was something that was in play,” she said, “you would take it off the table now.” Ramaswamy argued that there should be a distinction—not supported by established legal precedent—between lawful and unlawful immigrants. He even went so far as to assert that US-born citizens must earn the “privileges of citizenship.” In his view, American high schoolers should pass the same civics test immigrants are required to take in order to become citizens.

Ramaswamy is not the only 2024 GOP presidential hopeful latching onto birthright citizenship—which has been the law of the land for 155 years—as a dog whistle to rally the base. Last month, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has taken the anti-immigrant agenda to the next level with draconian legislation and political stunts in an attempt to present himself as being even more extreme than frontrunner Donald Trump, vowed to end the constitutional guarantee to citizenship for the US-born children of undocumented immigrants. “This idea that you can come across the border, two days later have a child, and somehow that’s an American citizen,” DeSantis told supporters and reporters at an event in Texas in June, “that was not the original understanding of the 14th Amendment, and so we’ll take action to force a clarification of that.”

The citizenship clause of the 14th Amendment, says Amanda Frost, author of You Are Not American: Citizenship Stripping from Dred Scott to the Dreamers, is fundamental to “who we are as a nation.” It played an important part in fostering equality in a nation of immigrants and of formerly enslaved people. Doing away with it would create irreparable damage and undermine democracy. “The birthright citizenship clause is not just about some technical legal rule of how you become a citizen,” Frost says. “It’s about how there’s no caste in America. You’re separate and apart from your parentage and your race and your lineage. You’re born here within our borders, you’re equal to everyone else born here—with the same rights and the same political power.”

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2023/07/birthright-citizenship-is-fundamental-to-who-we-are-as-a-nation-so-why-do-republicans-attack-it/

Yet it was fine for the Slobfather to let pregnant Russian women stay in his properties long enough to have their babies on American soil, then go back to Russia. The idiocy is confounding. I do agree with what he says about high schoolers passing the citizenship test though. You should have to pass it before you can vote--OR run for any political office, at any level, from dogcatcher on up.

[claudette]

1. They attack it because

they are racists, bigots and just plain old hate-filled people.

[republianmushroom]

5. And A-O's. IMO

[claudette]

6. That, too

😊

[LonePirate]

2. Citizenship tests for voting are not much different than literacy tests for voting.

We should not be advocating for that.

However, I think it is a fair expectation of those running for office even if it is unconstitutional to require it for federal offices.

[malthaussen]

3. Pretty sure "DeSantis" is an Italian name...

... how does Ronnie think he became a US citizen?

-- Mal

[Elessar Zappa]

4. No to citizenship tests.

There should be no obstacles to voting as long as you’re over 18 and not in prison.