(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy promised on Friday to abolish birthright citizenship and deport the children of illegal aliens if elected president.
Ramaswamy made the bold statements during a packed town hall meeting in Iowa, potentially as a response to the current influx of illegal aliens that has ignited bipartisan outcry.
“The family unit will be deported,” Ramaswamy told NBC News when asked whether his administration would deport the U.S.-born children of immigrants.
The Republican candidate doubled down on his promise when asked to clarify if it would include U.S. citizens of illegal immigrants’ parents.
“That is correct,” he firmly responded, defending his stance. “Under the legal theory that the child of an illegal immigrant is not someone who enjoys birthright citizenship, then it would be perfectly legally permissible to remove the entire family unit.”
According to NBC, Ramaswamy admitted potential legal challenges to such a move. “There are legally contested questions under the 14th Amendment of whether the child of an illegal immigrant is indeed a child who enjoys birthright citizenship,” he added. “They are contested.”
Ramaswamy’s position aligns with several other prominent GOP candidates. Former President Donald Trump, the leading GOP presidential candidate, expressed support for ending birthright citizenship in a video on May 30, labeling it a “reward for breaking the law.”
#AGENDA47: President Trump’s plan to discourage illegal immigration by ENDING automatic citizenship for the children of illegal aliens. pic.twitter.com/3iytgg45st
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) May 30, 2023
Similarly, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has also joined this chorus, arguing that birthright citizenship conflicts with the original understanding of the 14th Amendment.
The 14th Amendment has been the focal point of a contentious debate over its interpretation. It 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.”
Critics argue that the phrase “subject to the jurisdiction thereof” does not apply to illegal aliens, as they are violating federal law by entering the country through unlawful means, such as crossing the southern border or overstaying visas.
In 1898, the Supreme Court ruled in United States v. Wong Kim Ark that a Chinese American individual was an American citizen by birthright. In 2018, President Trump pledged to abolish birthright citizenship through executive order but did not follow through.
