Rep. Brian Babin (R-TX) said Republicans are not seeking to end birthright citizenship, but rather provide reformation to the topic that has now faced several legal setbacks from judges.
Judge Joseph Laplante of New Hampshire blocked Trump’s executive order to end birthright citizenship for illegal immigrants on Monday, making him the third judge to block the order. Babin, who introduced the Birthright Citizenship Act shortly after Trump’s executive order last month, sought to quell claims that Trump and Republican lawmakers are seeking to end birthright citizenship. Instead, the GOP congressman said the legislation is meant to “clarify” birthright citizenship and who gets access to it.
“No way in heck did the Founding Fathers or did the Congress of 1868 in the post-Civil War era ever intend for illegal immigrants to come sneaking into our country or birth tourism to a millionaire from China and elsewhere coming in to have babies and have these babies become citizens of the United States, just by virtue of a misinterpretation of this 14th Amendment,” Babin argued on Fox News’s America Reports. “So this will clarify, and you said it, there are three instances when one of the parents has to satisfy — so that the baby will qualify and become a citizen of the United States of America.”
When asked if he believes there is enough support within Congress to get his bill to the president’s desk, Babin said there are around 50-60 people in support of it and that there are likely more supporters who would back it. If the bill gets to Trump’s desk, it would allow the president to codify his executive order.
To pass, two-thirds of both the House and Senate would need to approve the bill, as would 75% of state legislatures.
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Last week, Judge Deborah Boardman of Maryland ruled that Trump’s executive order was unconstitutional, marking another speed bump for the administration. In its bid to stop illegal immigration into the United States, the administration has argued that children of undocumented immigrants and temporary visa holders are not “subject to the jurisdiction” of the U.S.
The legal battles over the executive order are expected to reach the Supreme Court, as Trump has vowed to appeal all the way up to the justices if necessary.