Does Birthright Citizenship Apply to Illegal Immigrants?

The liberal principle for this Freedom Friday concerns the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States. Long-time readers of my blog might remember that I have been a proponent of fighting the idea that pregnant women can come into the United States to have their child and the child automatically becomes a citizen of the United States.

President-elect Donald Trump has gone into the “lion’s den” of the mainstream media numerous times. His most recent adventure took place last Sunday when he sat down with Kristen Welker on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” One of the main picking points for Welker was Trump’s plan to end birthright citizenship. The Blaze TV Staff provided the following clarification of the matter. 

“You promised to end birthright citizenship on day one. Is that still your plan?” Welker asked, to which Trump promptly responded, “Yeah, absolutely.”

“The 14^th Amendment though says that ‘All persons born in the United States are citizens.’ Can you get around the 14^th Amendment with an executive3 action?” Welker asked again.

“We have to end it. We’re the only country that has it,” Trump said. “You know, if somebody sets a foot, just a foot. One foot. You don’t need two, on our land, congratulations, you are now a citizen of the United States of America. Yes, we’re going to end that because it’s ridiculous.”

Welker continued asking if Trump planned to do so through executive action, which he first offered that they would need to “go back to the people.” Finally, he replied again with “if we can.”

Glenn Beck of “The Glenn Beck Program” can’t help but point out the flaw in Welker’s use of the 14^th Amendment. “It was written for slavery. It was written because all citizens could vote.”

“So the Southerners, the Democrats, said, ‘Well, they’re not citizens, they’re from Africa, so they can’t vote,’” he continues. “If you were born here, even if you were born a slave, that’s what that was about. That was not illegal immigration,” Glenn explains.

“We are the only one that has it. And the only reason we do have it is because of slavery. It was a way to make sure the Democrats didn’t just cut blacks out of the vote again. That’s what’s so crazy,” he adds.

Not only does Welker not seem to understand the history behind the 14^th Amendment, Stu Burguiere points out that she doesn’t understand what the amendment itself 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,’” Burguiere reads from the 14^th Amendment. “That phrase, ‘and subject to the jurisdiction thereof,’ means that illegal immigrants are not included.”

“To be subject of that jurisdiction means that you have to have a basis in the country. So it’s not like you just cross the border and, ‘Hey, I’m now a subject of this jurisdiction.’ You’re a visitor,” Burguiere continues.

“Or in this case, a criminal crossing the border. So you would not necessarily get those protections of that 14^th Amendment,” he adds.

It is obvious that many people – maybe millions – have taken advantage of the misapplication of the Fourteen Amendment. The idea that the Fourteenth Amendment applies to the babies of illegal immigrants has been wrong for many years. The time for fixing the false application is long gone. I hope that Donald Trump follows through on this plan and ends birthright citizenship for illegal immigrants or people who overstay their legal entry into America.