Immigration has been a hot topic for debate, the past few months especially. There are still over 400 children separated from their families at the border, stuck in group cells like prisoners as young as five years old. In what world is that acceptable? Unfortunately, ours.
Can you imagine your first memories as a child as being locked in a cage with no idea where your parents are and no idea when you are going to see them again? It is despicable. Although the Zero Tolerance Act is no longer in effect because of its detrimental ramifications, Tr*mp wants to try another route to keep immigrants from entering our country and to deport those who are living legally in the United States. He not only wants to, but thinks he can eliminate the 14th Amendment to the Constitution…. The bad news is, he actually might be able to.
The 14th Amendment states:
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. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.
So, as you know, if an immigrant comes into the U.S. illegally and they have a kid, it can significantly improve a mother’s or other relatives’ chances of securing eventual citizenship. Having a child makes it much easier to get a green card. Tr*mp is not okay with this and thinks it’s absolutely “ridiculous”. He also thinks that we are the only country in the entire world where this is allowed. Like most things he says, he is absolutely incorrect.
The U.S. is actually one of 30 countries with unrestricted birthright citizenship.
His thoughts on policies are baseless and not backed up by any sort of truthful facts. With the amount of bold statements he says, you would think he would actually check them first. I mean, as the president of the United States, that’s what you’re supposed to do, right? To actually know the laws and how they work? And how other countries’ policies affect them? Isn’t that the job? Oh, yea, I forgot he’s completely unqualified and won because of the damn electoral college. And we all know how that works, unfortunately.
So, Tr*mp knows that he could have success eliminating the 14th Amendment through an act of Congress, but “now they’re now saying I can do it just with an executive order,” he says.
If you are like me and aren’t as sharp on your understanding of how the government works from when you learned it back in high school, let me refresh your memory. What is an executive order and how does it work?
In an article from CNBC, they state, “Most executive orders stem from a president’s desire to bypass Congress. The legislative body is not required to approve any executive order, nor can it overturn an order. The best it can do if it doesn’t like an executive order is to pass a law to cut funding for the order’s implementation. But even then, the president can veto such a defunding law.” There you have it.
Tr*mp believes he can bypass Congress with this executive order on the basis of how the amendment is phrased. In the first sentence, it states: “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.” What the heck does subject to the jurisdiction thereof mean?
I did not understand it either, until I looked it up and found this article from The Federalist Blog and through my understanding, although it was very confusing to understand, subject to the jurisdiction thereof simply means not owing allegiance to any other country.
No wonder our country is falling apart, because the foundation of the U.S. is built on a document written over 200 years ago. Maybe that’s why we don’t know how the law was intended when it was written. I think we can all agree the times have changed.
So, the language is confusing, but according to presidents in the early 1800s, it is to be interpreted as someone born or naturalized in the U.S., as long as they are only true and faithful to America and no other country, are citizens of the U.S.
But Tr*mp interprets “subject to the jurisdiction thereof” as meaning that the Amendment is saying one’s citizenship according to the law can be basically put on trial; that the Amendment is up for discussion – or a decision – through an executive order.
Tr*mp’s plan is causing major uproar across the country because foreign citizens who have legally lived in this country for years may have their rights as an American stripped away with one decision from one ugly, white and ignorant man, that may very well be backed up by all of his white ignorant man friends in Congress.
This entire issue chills me to the bone and I can hardly stand what this country is coming to. If it disturbs you too, then go vote today. Please, please, please, I beg you to use the one right you have in this country to make a change. Nobody deserves to be separated from their families or stripped of their rights. Speak up. Bring Your Own Voice.
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