To remove “unqualified” birthright citizenship for infants whose parents are not American citizens, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) reportedly filed a measure on Tuesday that would ban the practice.
According to the 14th Amendment, citizenship is granted to anybody who was “born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof.”
The amendment was passed in 1866, just after the Civil War, to provide freed slaves citizenship and equal rights.
The United States v. Wong Kim Ark decision from 1898’s Supreme Court affirmed the notion that children are covered by the 14th Amendment regardless of their parents’ immigration status.
Hard-line conservatives now propose attacking birthright citizenship.
“Birthright citizenship has been grossly misapplied for decades, recently becoming a loophole for illegal aliens to fraudulently abuse our immigration system. American citizenship is a privilege — not an automatic right to be co-opted by illegal aliens.” Gaetz announced.
When he returns to the White House, former President Trump, who toyed with acting against it when he was in office, has vowed to put a stop to it right away.
If Gaetz’s proposal is approved, children born in the United States to non-citizen parents will not automatically get citizenship.
Whether birthright citizenship can be abolished by law is a matter of debate.
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