House Speaker Pushes Anti-Immigrant Agenda, Targets Birthright Citizenship
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Speaker Mike Johnson is calling for Congress to consider legislation that would undermine birthright citizenship, using fearmongering about 'birth-tourism' and national security to justify an attack on the 14th Amendment.
House Speaker Mike Johnson appeared on Fox News Sunday on July 5, urging Congress to act swiftly on a bill to restrict birthright citizenship—a fundamental right enshrined in the 14th Amendment. Johnson, echoing long-standing nativist rhetoric, claimed that 'birthright tourism' is being used to exploit the system and has 'devalued' U.S. citizenship. He framed the issue as a supposed threat to the rule of law and national security, signaling that any regressive legislation would be advanced 'immediately.'
Johnson failed to present a concrete proposal but stated that Republicans are exploring options to roll back constitutional protections. He also mentioned efforts to push the Trump-backed SAVE America Act, a controversial election reform bill, through budget reconciliation, further aligning with anti-immigrant and anti-democratic priorities.
This renewed attack on birthright citizenship comes in the wake of a Supreme Court decision reaffirming the 14th Amendment’s citizenship clause, which guarantees citizenship to children born in the U.S., regardless of their parents’ immigration status. While most justices upheld this constitutional protection, Justice Brett Kavanaugh opened the door for Congress to carve out exceptions for children of undocumented immigrants, emboldening right-wing lawmakers.
Last year, Sen. Lindsey Graham and Rep. Brian Babin introduced legislation to restrict birthright citizenship, seeking to narrow the definition of who is 'subject to the jurisdiction' of the United States. Despite alarmist rhetoric, researchers estimate so-called 'birth tourists' account for only 2,000 to 39,000 births annually—a tiny fraction of U.S. births, as confirmed by university professors who called such cases 'infinitesimal.'
Lawmakers remain sharply divided, with hardliners like Sen. Ted Cruz denouncing birthright citizenship as a 'blatant abuse' of immigration laws, while more principled voices like Sen. Peter Welch correctly identify the issue as a marginal concern, exposing the manufactured panic behind these legislative efforts.
