The latest plan by US President Donald Trump to abolish birthright citizenship has sparked off reactions, as social media has been abuzz with divergent opinions on the matter.
TheNewsGuru (TNG) reports Trump made the plans to end automatic right to US citizenship for children born to non-citizens in the United States known in an interview with Axios.
“Good job president Trump… they come here pregnant on temporary Visa or crossing the border illegally, give birth to a child and then they bring the whole village here,” a Twitter user known as Riya Sharma tweeted.
Kevin Vozar stated that “Customs can deny a pregnant foreign national entry to US if it is determined they have no health insurance/money or will become a ward of the state. If they come in illegally with the intent on giving birth they can both be deported”.
https://twitter.com/CaptainKvo/status/1057255640576507904
“The 14th Amendment needs to be updated due to abuse from those it was not intended to cover. If someone is already a citizen of another country, birthing in US shouldn’t get birthright citizenship. The policy can be changed with just an executive order for now,” another Twitter user stated.
The 14th Amendment of the US constitution stated thus: “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”.
Trump described it as “ridiculous”, stressing that “it has to end”.
“How ridiculous, we’re the only country in the world where a person comes in, has a baby, and the baby is essentially a citizen of the United States for 85 years with all of those benefits. It’s ridiculous, and it has to end,” Trump said.
President Trump said he had spoken to legal counsel about it and that the change is in the works.
“You can definitely do it with an act of Congress. It was always told to me that you needed a constitutional amendment. You don’t. I can do it just with an executive order. It’s in the process, it’ll happen – with an executive order,” Trump said.
“More shameful and disgusting idea from Trump the orange menace,” Catherine Jackson stated.
https://twitter.com/NormEisen/status/1057221071940870147
“I am reminded that 4 of Donald Trump’s 5 children have immigrant mothers: Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump, Ivanka Trump. Also, there is evidence the first lady was once an “illegal immigrant. And the president’s first wife (and mother of his three older children) came to the United States using a “cold war marriage,” Angelo Villagomez stated.
In his argument on the birthright citizenship, Steve Kantrowitz also on Twitter said “The framers of the Civil Rights Act — the immediate precursor to the 14th Amendment, and the first place national citizenship was codified — knew exactly what they were doing”.
He further stated that “They were clarifying the well-understood principle that children born in the U.S. were citizens regardless of the immigration status of their parents.
“They even understood this to be true for children whose parents would then have been racially ineligible for citizenship, such as the Chinese”.
See more reactions:
To be fair @realDonaldTrump is right. We are the only country in the world where a baby is born and is essentially a citizen of the United States. That happens literally no where else. Canadian babies don't get to be US citizens at birth! #BirthrightCitizenship pic.twitter.com/6C5wAKz9DS
Advertisement— Mr. Penguin (@PenguinVPenguin) October 30, 2018
https://twitter.com/adamemile/status/1057254145449750528
https://twitter.com/Shaunton_Davis/status/1057254894359457793
If all it takes to modify 14th Amendment to Constitution #BirthrightCitizenship is Executive Order, then why stop there? Why not do away w/ 1st Amendment (#FreeSpeech ) to stop news media, or 2nd Amendment (@NRA) to stop killing of Americans? #maga #nopinchewall @realDonaldTrump pic.twitter.com/mOS7OmXgVQ
— Martín Paredes (@martinparedes) October 30, 2018
https://twitter.com/atriumofthefall/status/1057269289105842176
https://twitter.com/humbleresh/status/1057269267794747393
This makes me really sad to wake up to. I’m going back to sleep, please let this just be a nightmare. Or please let me wake back up to REPUBLICANS and politicians to stand up! Republicans R scared of @realDonaldTrump and that’s really scary to us that vote #BirthrightCitizenship
Advertisement— Alexa (@aLexaR67) October 30, 2018
Hey, @realDonaldTrump, 3 things; you can't change the Constitution with Executive Orders, if you do kill #BirthrightCitizenship, your kids are all illegals, and that will open a door to you changing other amendments, like the first, so, no, you can't do that, you orange poltroon.
— Tony Chacon (@TheTonyChacon) October 30, 2018
https://twitter.com/ScienceHoffman/status/1057255387248832513
#BirthrightCitizenship was about protecting the children of slaves. The amendment nullified an 1857 Supreme Court decision (Dred Scott v. Sandford), which ruled that those descended from slaves could not be citizens. No more slavery so no more amendment. No more anchor babies.
— Crazy Cat Lady (@HorseRules2010) October 30, 2018
To all these people acting like he couldn’t POSSIBLY strip away #BirthrightCitizenship as if the Constitution is sacred and inviolable:
3/5ths, Dred Scott, and Separate But Equal all say “What’s good?” pic.twitter.com/YJ6ZeD6AUj
— Cleopatra Jones Jr. (@theKelizabeth82) October 30, 2018