Slaughtering the dreams of many 'anchor babies', US President Donald Trump is reportedly contemplating signing an executive order to end the birthright citizenship before he paves way for the incoming US President, Joe Biden. Trump, who has quite often expressed his displeasure over the law, is believed be preparing to sign the order before Biden takes oath on January 20th.
Following the implementation of the Fourteenth Amendment back in 1868, citizenship of people born in the US has been controlled by its Citizenship Clause. It 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.' Thus, all babies born in the United States are automatically granted American citizenship, regardless of the legal status of their parents, stated Daily Mail.
Trump Had Spoken About Abolishing Birthright Citizenship in the Past
In its report, The Hill stated that the issue of culling the birthright citizenship is being discussed frequently among several members of the Trump administration. Even though none of the officials commented on the issue, a statement issued by the White House Deputy Press Secretary Judd Deere, stated: "Since taking office, President Trump has never shied away from using his lawful executive authority to advance bold policies and fulfill the promises he made to the American people."
'The Department of Justice has been consulted about a possible birthright citizenship order given that it would have deal with the legal implications of any new policy,' according to The Hill.
During an interview with Axios in 2018, Trump had claimed that he can implement the plan without any amendment. "It was always told to me that you needed a constitutional amendment. Guess what? You don't. It's in the process. It'll happen, with an executive order,' he had stated. Earlier, in January the Trump administration had issued an order to restrict the visas applications for women believed to be traveling to the United States primarily to give birth.
Dissent Against Trump's Plan to Abolish Birthright Citizenship
The Daily Mail reported that several constitutional scholars have claimed that if Trump signs the executive order to ban the birthright citizenship it would not hold up under the law as it is protected under the 14th Amendment.
"The Citizenship Clause of the 14th Amendment was clearly intended to guarantee that emancipated slaves would properly be recognized as U.S. citizens. If the president finally issues a long-awaited executive order limiting birthright citizenship, it will be up to the Supreme Court to resolve this issue once and for all," RJ Hauman, government relations director at the Federation for American Immigration Reform, told The Hill.
There were widespread reactions on the social media too. "An executive order would be pointless. Birthright citizenship is in the constitution and the constitution gave congress the right to create clarifying legislation. Trump can do nothing with an executive order. He just wants to issue another racist document that is meaningless," tweeted a user.
