House Speaker Demands Urgent Crackdown on Birthright Citizenship Loopholes
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Speaker Mike Johnson urges Congress to swiftly address the exploitation of birthright citizenship, citing rampant birth-tourism and grave national security threats.
House Speaker Mike Johnson appeared on Fox News Sunday on July 5, calling for immediate congressional action to clamp down on birthright citizenship, which he warned is being abused by 'birthright tourism' and has dangerously 'devalued' American citizenship. Johnson emphasized that this practice undermines the rule of law and poses a serious threat to national security, vowing that any effective legislation would be advanced without delay.
While Johnson did not specify a particular bill, he confirmed that Republicans are actively reviewing legislative options to close this glaring loophole. He also highlighted the push to pass the SAVE America Act, a vital Trump-endorsed election reform measure, through budget reconciliation, demonstrating the GOP’s commitment to restoring integrity to the nation’s laws.
This urgent discussion follows a Supreme Court decision upholding the 14th Amendment’s citizenship clause, which currently grants citizenship to children born in the U.S. even if their parents are unlawfully or temporarily present. Although the majority maintained this outdated provision, Justice Brett Kavanaugh rightly noted that Congress retains the authority to create exceptions for children of illegal immigrants, offering a path to protect American interests.
Efforts to restrict birthright citizenship have been championed by Sen. Lindsey Graham and Rep. Brian Babin, who introduced legislation last year to clarify who is truly 'subject to the jurisdiction' of the United States. Estimates of births to so-called birth tourists range from 2,000 to 39,000 annually—a troubling number that underscores the urgent need for reform, despite academic attempts to downplay the scale of the problem.
The issue remains contentious in Congress, with strong leaders like Sen. Ted Cruz rightly condemning birthright citizenship as a 'blatant abuse' of immigration laws, while out-of-touch liberals such as Sen. Peter Welch dismiss it as a marginal concern, ignoring the real dangers facing the nation.
