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Lawmakers on Capitol Hill had split reactions to the Supreme Court’s ruling to strike down President Donald Trump’s bid to end birthright citizenship, further allowing children born in the United States to be recognized as U.S. citizens.
“It’s a terrible decision,” Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., told Fox News Digital.
“Regulate folks before they come in — in terms of not coming here just to have a baby and leave,” Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., said.
“In terms of the immigration process coming in, there should be regulation. Not that once you’re born here that we’re going to denaturalize you,” he continued.
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The case, which left many Republicans and Democrats divided, challenged Trump’s executive order to detach birthright citizenship from the 14th Amendment. Most Democrats who Fox News Digital spoke to argued that if the ruling had gone the other way, it would have been considered unconstitutional.
“I think they got it right,” Rep. Christian Menefee, D-Texas said. “The Supreme Court said that the Constitution says what it says. That if anybody even has a question about what the 14th Amendment says, I think it’s a little embarrassing. So I’m glad they got it right.”
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“I believe in the Constitution,” Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C., said when asked about the ruling.
“The Constitution is the Constitution. If you don’t like the Constitution, you can try to change it,” Rep. Seth Magaziner, D-R.I., said. “But honestly, I think we’ve got much bigger problems as a country than Americans trying to live their lives as birthright citizens.”
The 6-3 decision highlights a significant loss for Trump’s immigration agenda as he has criticized birthright citizenship as a “magnet for illegal immigration.”
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“I think the president has an obsession with immigrants in this country,” Rep. Sarah Elfreth, D-Md., said. “He’s hell bent on making it as uncomfortable as possible. We’ve seen that time and again with ICE, we’ve seen this with an attack on the 14th Amendment.”
Justice Clarence Thomas, Justice Neil Gorsuch and Justice Samuel Alito were the three to dissent — arguing the 14th Amendment does not guarantee birthright citizenship to all children born to parents who are unlawfully and temporarily in the country. Alito cited that the ruling fails to recognize the rise of “birth tourism,” the concept that foreigners come to America just to give birth, potentially opening the door to national security threats.
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Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., and Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., declined to comment on the ruling to Fox News Digital.
“Americans should be happy, because the Constitution means more than one guy’s opinion,” Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., said.