Sen. Tom Cotton’s Proposed Law on Birthright Citizenship
Senator Tom Cotton from Arkansas is set to propose legislation that aims to stop the automatic granting of American citizenship to children born in the U.S. to undocumented parents.
On Tuesday, Cotton plans to unveil the Clarification Act on Constitutional Citizenship, according to exclusive information from Breitbart News.
This bill seeks to amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to make it clear that children of illegal immigrants, often referred to as “anchor babies,” are not eligible for birthright citizenship.
Additionally, it ensures that children of foreign terrorists and spies born in the U.S. will also be excluded from receiving birthright citizenship.
“There is no constitutional right for illegal foreigners to cross borders to gain citizenship for their children,” Cotton stated. “Granting birthright citizenship to illegal foreigners has contributed to the highest level of illegal immigration in history. By correcting this, we can reduce the damage from Joe Biden’s devastating border crisis.”
This proposed legislation aligns with the goals of President Trump’s initial agenda aimed at protecting American citizenship. Cotton previously attempted to address birthright citizenship through executive order.
Recently, Judge Joseph Laplante, appointed by former President George W. Bush, paused Trump’s order intended to end birthright citizenship.
Currently, children of illegal immigrants receive citizenship despite their parents lacking a lawful connection to the U.S. In many cases, these children can later sponsor their parents or other family members for green cards when they reach adulthood.
In 2023, the Immigration Research Center estimated that 225,000 to 250,000 “anchor babies” were born to undocumented parents, which represents about 7% of all U.S. births that year.
The Supreme Court has yet to make a definitive ruling on whether children of illegal immigrants born in the U.S. are entitled to birthright citizenship, and this notion has faced scrutiny from various legal experts.
Numerous prominent conservative scholars contend that the citizenship clause in the 14th amendment does not grant automatic citizenship to children of illegal foreigners.
