In an interview with Axios, President Donald Trump aired his intent to end birthright citizenship, a right currently enshrined in the 14th Amendment that promises American citizenship to babies born on U.S. soil, no matter their parents’ citizenship status.
This is reportedly Trump’s latest attempt to end “chain migration.”
“We’re the only country in the world where a person comes in and has a baby, and the baby is essentially a citizen of the United States … with all of those benefits,” Trump said during the interview. “It’s ridiculous. It’s ridiculous. And it has to end.”
Trump believes that he can end birthright citizenship on his own with an executive order. When the interviewers pushed back on this notion, Trump cited unnamed sources who have given him the go-ahead.
The strong consensus of constitutional scholars and precedent is that birthright citizenship is guaranteed in the U.S. Constitution. A constitutional amendment would be required to change that.
“You can definitely do it with an Act of Congress,” Trump said. “But now they’re saying I can do it just with an executive order.”
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