Sunday, November 04, 2018

Marco Rubio is a birthright citizen and now he wants to abandon that right

Donald Trump wants to cancel the automatic right for babies born on America soil to be granted US citizenship (so-called "birthright citizenship"). And this comes as no surprise to most people, as Trump looks into every possible avenue to reduce immigration and to make the lives of immigrants as difficult as possible.
Currently, that right is enshrined in the 14th Amendment of the US Constitution, and most legal scholars do not think that Trump will be able to just repeal that right by a presidential decree. A similar right also exists in Canada and many other countries, even though Trump seems to think that America is alone in allowing such ridiculous scam. Some Republicans are arguing that the 14th Amendment does not apply to the children of illegal or temporary immigrants, but that too seems unlikely to stand up in a court of law.
What is perhaps more interesting is that Trump's plan is backed by Senator Marco Rubio. Why this is unexpected is because Rubio is himself a US citizen by virtue of this very right. Rubio's parents immigrated to the USA from Cuba in 1956 (and NOT in response to Castro's revolution in 1959, as Rubio has often claimed). Although they became naturalized American citizens in 1975, Rubio himself was born in 1971, i.e. at a time when his parents were undocumented and illegal immigrants. So, Marco Rubio owes his very existence as a US citizen to this right that he now wants to cancel.
Ironic? Just a tad.

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