(RepublicanReport.org) – House Rep. Brian Babin (R-TX) believes birthright citizenship in the United States, or the loophole that allows children of foreigners to become US citizens if they’re born on domestic soil, needs to end. The representative claims the law is a result of a poor interpretation of the 14th Amendment, and he recently introduced a new bill to Congress in an effort to fix the problem.
Babin issued a press release on December 8 to introduce his new bill, the Birthright Citizenship Act of 2023, or HR 6612. He expressed concern over “loopholes” in the US immigration system that allow children born in the country, regardless of their parents’ legal status, to enjoy the same privileges as all other US citizens. He claims “birth tourism” acts as an incentive to many people outside the country who would exploit the rules and purposefully time a visit to the US to ensure their baby can claim citizenship.
Pointing to what he says is a misapplication of language in Section 1 of the 14th Amendment of the US Constitution, Babin claims HR 6612 would close the loophole by clarifying its definition of “birthright citizenship.” Specifically, it would limit the term to describing individuals who are either US nationals, lawful aliens who’ve been provided permanent resident status, or aliens who are in active armed forces service in the country. The law, if passed, wouldn’t retroactively affect anyone who gained US citizenship through the loophole before HR 6612 went into effect.
Section 1 of the 14th Amendment, as it currently stands, states that anyone “born or naturalized” in the country is a citizen of the US as well as the individual state they call home. Republicans have been split in their thoughts on the interpretation, but former President Donald Trump has made clear that he would use an executive order to end birthright citizenship if he returned to the Oval Office.
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