Donald Trump attacked detractors on the birthright citizenship issue on Wednesday morning, tweeting that the practice "will be ended one way or the other" and arguing that birthright citizenship is not actually covered by the 14th Amendment of the US Constitution.
So-called Birthright Citizenship, which costs our Country billions of dollars and is very unfair to our citizens, will be ended one way or the other. It is not covered by the 14th Amendment because of the words “subject to the jurisdiction thereof.” Many legal scholars agree…..
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) 31 октября 2018 г.
According to the president, the language "subject to the jurisdiction thereof" in section one of the amendment, which states 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," indicates the lack of legal validity for birthright citizenship claims for illegal immigrants. "Many legal scholars agree," Trump wrote.
Trump to Migrant Caravan: 'Turn Around!'
In a separate tweet addressing the migrant caravan converging on the US border from Mexico, Trump wrote that "many more troops" are being deployed, and that the US would "NOT let these Caravans, which are also made up of some very bad thugs and gang members," into the US. "TURN AROUND!" Trump urged.
Our military is being mobilized at the Southern Border. Many more troops coming. We will NOT let these Caravans, which are also made up of some very bad thugs and gang members, into the U.S. Our Border is sacred, must come in legally. TURN AROUND!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) 31 октября 2018 г.
The Caravans are made up of some very tough fighters and people. Fought back hard and viciously against Mexico at Northern Border before breaking through. Mexican soldiers hurt, were unable, or unwilling to stop Caravan. Should stop them before they reach our Border, but won’t!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) 31 октября 2018 г.
Trump's remarks were greeted with support from Republican lawmakers including Senator Lindsey Graham, who said he would propose legislation in the Senate mirroring the president's executive order. However, Republican Speaker of the House Paul Ryan said that Trump wouldn't be able to end birthright citizenship with an executive order. Vice-President Mike Pence said that the Supreme Court has never ruled on the language of the fourteenth amendment with respect to birthright citizenship and how it applies "to people who are in the country illegally."
On Tuesday, the American Civil Liberties Union called Trump's planned executive order a "blatantly unconstitutional attempt to sow division and fan the flames of anti-immigrant hatred" ahead of next month's midterm elections.
Some 5,200 active-duty troops are beiing sent to the US border with Mexico in an operation dubbed 'Operation Faithful Patriot' to bolster border patrol agents' efforts to prepare for a Central American migrant caravan of several thousand people making its way to the border. Republicans have accused their opponents in the US and elsewhere of providing support for the caravan in a bid to influence the upcoming election. President Trump has promised to build "very nice" tent cities for the would-be immigrants, and "hold" migrants who apply for asylum pending court dates.
