From denaturalization to reimagining birthright citizenship.
Illegal immigration has been a key aspect of Donald Trump’s platform since his first campaign. After the shooting of two West Virginia National Guard members by an Afghan national let in by lax Biden-era rules, however, the president has redoubled his efforts – and this time, he has much more support and a gruesome example of how the status quo can go terribly wrong.
A Birthright in Doubt
The US Supreme Court announced Friday, December 5, that it would consider whether babies born to parents in the US illegally or just temporarily automatically gain citizenship. It’s an issue that complicates the process even when the foreign national would otherwise be a shoo-in for deportation. Can an illegal alien be sent home? Sure. But a natural born US citizen already is home – there’s nowhere to deport them to – so the baby can stay without parents? In the real world, what that has meant traditionally is that children and their illegal parents are allowed to remain stateside. On his first day back in the White House, President Trump signed an executive order seeking to end birthright citizenship for these so-called anchor babies.
The 14th Amendment was written to grant citizenship to freed slaves and their descendants. Over the years, the idea of birthright citizenship came to include just about anyone born on US soil – even if both parents were here illegally. Trump’s order would require at least one parent to be a citizen for birthright citizenship to apply.
The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments early next year – likely in the spring – and a ruling is expected in June or early July. The pertinent section of the 14th Amendment reads: “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.”
The question comes from the “and subject to the jurisdiction thereof” bit. The president argues that illegals and those who are just visiting temporarily aren’t subject to that jurisdiction. This order, which faced multiple lawsuits from the beginning and has not gone into effect, predates the DC shooting by nearly a year and, of course, wouldn’t mean much for a foreign national brought to America as a refugee, but the news predicts yet another expansion of Trump’s immigration crackdown should the Court rule in his favor.
Immigration Lockdown
The Trump administration said Thursday it would shorten the period of time that work permits are valid for refugees, asylees, and other immigrants with legal protection in the US. Presently, work permits are good for five years. Under the new rule, however, they’ll only last 18 months. The change applies to any permits applied for after Friday, December 5, as well as any that were pending on that date.
This follows closely on the heels of the announcement that immigration would halt entirely from certain nations and that any migrant convicted of a crime is bound for deportation – even if that means denaturalization for anyone already granted citizenship. As well, US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem also announced on Thursday that the original travel ban would be expanded from 19 countries to 30, though she didn’t elaborate as to the other 11 names on the list.
Immigration enforcement operations are ramping up this side of the border, as well. The best example is probably “Catahoula Crunch” in New Orleans. Around 250 federal border agents are in town for a months-long crackdown across southeast Louisiana and into Mississippi – and the goal is to arrest as many as 5,000 illegals.
A similar operation in the Chicago area recently resulted in more than 3,200 arrests, and still, this is likely just the beginning. These are just two cities on a list of 18 that the Department of Justice accuses of undermining federal immigration enforcement efforts.
President Trump hit the ground running in both terms, working from day one to strengthen and secure the borders and to remove the criminal illegals already in the country. Even facing stiff opposition and litigation at every turn, he has gained ground. But four years of Joe Biden and progressive globalists in charge in between Trump’s two terms was like cutting a big hole in the middle of a dam. No matter how tall, thick, or well-braced either side may be around that hole, the flood remains inevitable.
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