The 14th Amendment and Immigration
Why we shouldn’t repeal the 14th amendment and what we should do on immigration
I am a former governor of Virginia and a Republican candidate for President. I oppose Gov. Scott Walker, Donald Trump, and others for their support to give the government the right to remove citizenship from persons born in the U.S. This is a dangerous step that undermines American liberty. This is the wrong message to send to young Americans of foreign heritage. It is the cheapest sort of political pandering and political opportunism.
The illegal immigration issue is a matter of national security that requires tough action, but their proposal requires a constitutional amendment to give government a power it should not have.
The 14th amendment to the Constitution was written after the Civil War to make it very clear that every person born in this country has a right to citizenship. It is an important principle that has stood the test of time and to attempt to repeal it now would set our nation back.
I believe we have to act to resolve the continuing illegal immigration problems troubling Americans, but changing the Constitution and removing the birthright citizenship provision is going too far. Candidates advocating this in an attempt to gain a political advantage should be ashamed of themselves.
I have a common sense plan for dealing with illegal immigration that includes:
1. Order the immediate arrest and detention or imprisonment of all criminal illegal immigrants so they can no longer prey on innocent Americans.
2. No path to citizenship for anyone who comes here illegally. The only people who should be able to achieve American citizenship are those who come here lawfully.
3. We should build border barriers immediately, not ask Mexico to give us permission. They’re not going to pay the cost of any barriers, and trying to negotiate that shouldn’t be an excuse to not build them.
4. Once our borders are secure, the illegal immigrants already here should be allowed to work if they apply for legal work permits. And, they should pay their taxes, obey our laws and learn our language.
Please share your thoughts on these proposals. Thanks for reading.
