Trump wants to end birthright citizenship to combat immigration fraud
President-elect Donald Trump announced that he wants to end "birthright" citizenship to combat immigration fraud and bring the United States in line with other countries that do not offer such a privilege.
During an interview on Sunday with NBC’s Meet the Press, Trump stated that he intends to take action on the matter on day one of his presidency.
Host Kristen Welker asked Trump, “You promised to end birthright citizenship on day one. Is that still your plan?” to which Trump affirmatively responded saying, "Yeah, absolutely."
Welker pointed out that Trump's plan could run afoul of the Constitution, saying, "The 14th Amendment, though, says that, quote, all persons born in the United States are citizens. Can you get around the 14th Amendment with an executive action?"
Trump responded by saying, "We’ll have to get a change. Maybe we’ll have to go back to the people, but we have to end it. We’re the only country that has it, you know?”
Birthright citizenship has led to foreigners coming to the United States for the sole purpose of having children, referred to as "anchor babies," as a way to bypass the immigration system. It's long past time that such a glaring vulnerability in our immigration laws was addressed.