‘Thanks’ to Trump, your unborn child may lose out on U.S. citizenship even if you have a green card

Nduta Waweru October 30, 2018

“We’re the only country in the world where a person comes in, has a baby, and the baby is essentially a citizen of the United States for 85 years with all of those benefits. It’s ridiculous. It’s ridiculous. And it has to end.”

This was the answer U.S. President Donald Trump gave in regard to ending the right to U.S citizenship to children born on U.S. soil to parents who are not citizens.

He was speaking to Axios in an interview, whose clips were aired today ahead of the full broadcast on Sunday, where he said he has already consulted with White House’s counsel on the matter.

“It was always told to me that you needed a constitutional amendment. Guess what? You don’t. You can definitely do it with an act of Congress. But now they’re saying I can do it just with an executive order,” Trump said.

According to the U.S. Constitution, children born in the U.S. and its territories to non-citizens or immigrants parents have the right to become citizens. The amendment was made 150 years ago to state that “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.”

This is Trump’s new anti-immigrant move, which joins a list of many others including ending the DACA program, instituting a travel ban, blocking ‘non-professional’ immigrants from entering the U.S. and restricting legal immigration.

The president did not say when he would sign the order, but many are questioning the timing of the announcement, comes just days before the midterm elections slotted for November 6. But one thing for sure for him is: “It’s in the process. It’ll happen with an executive order.”

Already debate is raging on social media as to whether Trump is able to make such an executive order.

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Last Edited by:Nduta Waweru Updated: October 30, 2018

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