‘Not a Suicide Pact’: Trump Official Destroys Dems' Birthright Citizenship Argument

AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana

Democrats love to claim that the Fourteenth Amendment supports their argument for birthright citizenship to the child of every pregnant woman who walks across our border. In fact, the amendment itself undermines this warped definition, as a Trump administration official pointed out on Tuesday. The amendment was never meant to be a political and societal "suicide pact."

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The Supreme Court hears oral arguments for the “birthright citizenship” case on Wednesday, March 31, and of course Democrats' allies in the media have been assiduously misrepresenting the case for months. The United States has an unusual system whereby anyone who is born on U.S. soil, even if the parents are both aliens and the mother just flew or walked into the country, is automatically a citizen. This is not based on the Constitution, and it is extremely dangerous to our national security.

Or, as Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau put it, the SCOTUS case could "decide the future of our country." He wrote on X, "The question is whether children born in the US to ILLEGAL ALIENS are automatically entitled to US citizenship by virtue of the Fourteenth Amendment, enacted after the Civil War to give the freed slaves citizenship. But that provision does not say that ANYONE born on US soil is automatically entitled to US citizenship. To the contrary, it says that citizenship extends to persons born in the US 'AND SUBJECT TO THE JURISDICTION THEREOF.'"

And therein lies the crux. The Fourteenth Amendment, of course, was a response to the newly freed slaves and their children, not to mass illegal migration. The U.S. continued to have restrictive immigration laws for years after that amendment officially became the law of the land.

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Having quoted the Fourteenth Amendment, Landau continued, "Those key words prevent the amendment from giving out precious US citizenship like candy to the children of temporarily present or illegal aliens, who by definition not domiciled in, and do not enjoy the requisite bonds of allegiance to, our country."

Democrats want to destroy America and remake it. But for those of us who want to preserve our Republic, the warped current definition of "birthright citizenship" is a threat. Landau concluded, "Citizenship is the very basis of our legal and social order. I don’t believe, for instance, that 'El Pelón,' apparent new head of the bloodthirsty CJNG cartel in Mexico, is a US citizen simply because—as has been widely reported—he was born in California. Our Constitution is not a suicide pact."

The full text of the Fourteenth Amendment’s Section 1 is:

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. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

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I put the key section in bold. Landau gave one example of why a right understanding of the Fourteenth Amendment is vital, and I will give another. By 2030, a million Chinese Communists — raised in China and indoctrinated into a bloodthirsty and destructive ideology totally antithetical to our national principles — could be voting in U.S. elections. Why? Because of "birth tourism," whereby citizens of others countries like China can come have their babies in a U.S. state or territory and consider the kids U.S. citizens. It's taken the already condemnable practice of having "anchor babies" to a whole new and perilous level. A right understanding of birthright citizenship really is key to our national security.

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