DETROIT (Diya TV) — Congressman Shri Thanedar has denounced an effort by President-elect Donald Trump to end birthright citizenship, saying it constitutes an attack on a cardinal principle of American democracy. A strong advocate for the 14th Amendment, Thanedar took to his social media accounts to assert his opposition and pledged a fight against any attempt at taking away this constitutional right.
“Birthright citizenship is a right every American enjoys. Donald Trump’s threats to this fundamental concept, enshrined in the 14th Amendment, are antithetical to the rule of law,” Thanedar posted. “I will fight tooth and nail to prevent him from deporting American citizens.”
The 14th Amendment, ratified in 1868, provides citizenship to anyone born on U.S. soil, a protection that has stayed in place for more than 150 years. Trump has lambasted this provision, branding it as a “stupid” notion that, he claims, promotes illegal immigration. The ex-president tossed around the idea of nixing birthright citizenship through executive order during his first term in office; however, the idea became dormant during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, it has come back alive as part of his vision for a second presidential term.
Thanedar, whose district includes a diverse immigrant population, emphasized the importance of birthright citizenship in maintaining the integrity of American law. “If a person is born in America, then they are an American citizen. Efforts to ban or circumvent birthright citizenship are wrong and unconstitutional. As a congressman, I’ll fight back against any attempt to roll it back,” he said.
In keeping with the idea that altering the U.S. Constitution would be required to change the law, according to the Migration Policy Institute, Trump’s most recent proposition would have immense impacts for children born in the United States to foreign nationals within the country on visas. These include those H-1B visa children, granted automatic U.S. citizenship, who might become unsure of their status.
