President Trump Sunday said he would deny citizenship to those born in the U.S. to non-citizen parents while also deporting children of undocumented immigrants even if those children are citizens. reports the Wall Street Journal.
The right to citizenship to all children born in the United States has been in place since 1898 when Wong Kim Ark won his case in the U.S. Supreme Court.
The right is known as birthright citizenship which Trump says he will do away with through an executive order.
The Wall Street Journal reports that constitutional experts and civil rights groups say that right is embedded into the constitution and can’t be rescinded through a presidential order. They believe it would take a constitutional amendment, a lengthy process that hasn’t been done since 1992.
The 14th Amendment states “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,” according to Fox5 New York.
Trump is expecting a legal challenge and is preparing to fight it.
During an interview on Meet the Press, Newsweek reports Trump incorrectly stated that the United States is the only country in the world to grant birthright citizenship.
The Library of Congress says more than 30 countries grant similar rights, including Canada and Brazil.
Trump has previously said he would issue such an executive order on day one saying in a campaign video “On Day One of my new term in office, I will sign an executive order making clear to federal agencies that under the correct interpretation of the law, going forward, the future children of illegal immigrants will not receive automatic U.S. citizenship.”
In addition, the BBC reports the President-elect also said he would deport citizens of undocumented parents.
“I don’t want to be breaking up families,” he said, “so the only way you don’t break up the family is you keep them together and you have to send them all back.”
Trump has no problem deporting U.S. citizens, but also says he will grant pardons to those convicted in the January 6 riots.
“These people are living in hell,” he said on Meet the Press.
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