Graham Supports Ending Birthright Citizenship: ‘It’s A Bad Practice’

UNITED STATES - JUNE 23: Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., speaks with reporters as he leaves the Senate Republicans' policy lunch in the Capitol on Tuesday, June 23, 2015. (Photo By Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call) (CQ Roll Call... UNITED STATES - JUNE 23: Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., speaks with reporters as he leaves the Senate Republicans' policy lunch in the Capitol on Tuesday, June 23, 2015. (Photo By Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call) (CQ Roll Call via AP Images) MORE LESS
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Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) on Monday agreed with fellow Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump that the U.S. should put an end to birthright citizenship.

“I don’t mind changing that law. I think it’s a bad practice to give citizenship based on birth. We have evidence of people buying tourist visas for the express purpose of coming over here and having a child as birth tourism. I don’t think that’s a good idea,” he told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer. “But that’s not going to happen until we fix a broken immigration system.”

When asked about the proposal again, Graham confirmed to Blitzer that he believes children born in the U.S. to parents who are not citizens should not automatically be granted citizenship.

Trump proposed a change to the way the U.S. grants citizenship as part of a larger immigration platform, prompting other Republican presidential candidates to weigh in on the issue. Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) on Monday said that he supports ending birthright citizenship. And last week, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) said the issue should be “re-examined.”

Though Graham agreed with Trump on birthright citizenship, he described the real estate mogul’s immigration proposal as “gibberish.”

Watch Graham’s interview via CNN:

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