Author: R. Alan Harrop, Ph.D.
President Trump has made it clear that the policies that he intends to implement, and has already initiated, make basic common sense to most clear-thinking Americans. This is in direct contrast to the Biden administration, whose leftist policies made no sense to most people, yet were implemented to achieve some radical leftist agenda. This is the primary reason that Trump received overwhelming support in this past election.
Glaring examples include: the idea that there are multiple genders instead of just male and female; the idea that it is best to select people for jobs based on race, gender, etc. instead of their ability to do the jobs effectively; and the idea of rewarding people who cross our borders illegally with free meals, housing in swank hotels and healthcare. I suppose the Democrat Party believed that Americans would continue to fall for this nonsense.
One of the issues that President Trump, who is the most courageous president since Ronald Reagan, has addressed is the so-called “anchor baby” situation. The advocates of this nonsensical policy where the baby of any person here illegally is automatically a citizen, cite the 14th Amendment as justification for this practice. And they further claim that the family of the anchor baby are consequently all eligible to remain in our country. They call this birth right citizenship. Applying the common-sense test clearly shows the absurdity of this policy. It would be like claiming that someone who broke in your home has a right to stay there because they need a place to stay. The anchor baby policy is so absurd that a pregnant woman from any other country can travel to America as a tourist, have her baby here, and have that child automatically become a citizen.
The 14th Amendment, which was drafted in 1866 and ratified in 1868, was passed specifically to qualify newly freed slaves as citizens without having to go through the naturalization process of taking qualifying tests, etc. When interpreting the meaning of any constitutional amendment, it is critical to understand the purpose of the amendment when originally proposed and approved. There is no evidence that the 14th Amendment was meant to reward illegal criminals who violate our immigration laws with citizenship for their children. Absolutely none. The Democrats want this policy to stay in place because they hope that it will increase their voter base.
This ongoing problem has existed for years, and finally we have an elected official who has the courage to try to correct it. Clearly, this battle will be determined by the Supreme Court, where we hope common sense will prevail. Failing that, there is always the option of drafting a constitutional amendment that will correct the problem. Rewarding criminal conduct is never a good idea, especially when it pertains to granting the privilege of citizenship, the value of which must be maintained.