House Speaker Paul Ryan, who is retiring at the end of the year, is pouring cold water on President Trump's plans to end birthright citizenship through an executive order.
“You cannot end birthright citizenship with an executive order," Ryan told a Kentucky radio station Tuesday. "As a conservative, I’m a believer in following the plain text of the Constitution, and I think in this case the 14th Amendment is pretty clear, and that would involve a very, very lengthy constitutional process. But where we obviously totally agree with the president is getting at the root issue here, which is unchecked illegal immigration.”
President Trump said during an interview with Axios Monday night that he was prepared to end birth right citizenship, which applies to anyone born on American soil, without Congress or a change to the U.S. Constitution.
"How ridiculous, we're the only country in the world where a person comes in, has a baby, and the baby is essentially a citizen of the United States for 85 years with all of those benefits,” Trump said.
Meanwhile, on the Senate side of Capitol Hill President Trump is seeing support on the issue from Republican Senator Lindsey Graham.
Finally, a president willing to take on this absurd policy of birthright citizenship. https://t.co/kCa0ko7P76
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) October 30, 2018
The United States is one of two developed countries in the world who grant citizenship based on location of birth.
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) October 30, 2018
This policy is a magnet for illegal immigration, out of the mainstream of the developed world, and needs to come to an end.
The United States is one of two developed countries in the world who grant citizenship based on location of birth.
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) October 30, 2018
This policy is a magnet for illegal immigration, out of the mainstream of the developed world, and needs to come to an end.
In addition, I plan to introduce legislation along the same lines as the proposed executive order from President @realDonaldTrump.
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) October 30, 2018