Birthright Citizenship and Deportations - 1/22/2025

This might shock some of you, but I have opinions on these issues. The incoming Trump Administration is wading into both issues better than waist deep, and, not surprisingly, getting pushback from the left on both. Let's delve into them, just a tiny bit.

On Birthright Citizenship: Students of our history will tell you that citizenship by birthright came to be as a way to ensure freed slaves were not denied citizenship. The 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified in 1868 and permanently ensured freed slaves had a right to citizenship. Like other rights, it is inalienable. Initially, Native Americans were excluded from citizenship as a birthright (at that time we were at war with many tribes in the west), but that was corrected in the 1920's in a Supreme Court decision, if my memory of our history serves me correctly.

The law wasn't intended for illegal immigrant's anchor babies or Chinese tourism babies to obtain citizenship, but, like it or not, is was interpreted thusly by the U.S. Supreme Court, and that's what we are living with now. I happen to think the Amendment and its subsequent interpretations are bad law, but that they are indeed, the law. I don't think the Trump Executive Order has a chance in hell of withstanding legal challenges, and just like Biden's student loan forgiveness, it's a proposal the President knows won't stand up. Just my opinion. Sorry if you disagree.

I'm glad Trump is tackling the issue, though. There are only two ways to properly, legally stop tourism and anchor baby citizenship, which are both bastardizations, in essence loopholes from original intent. An Executive Order isn't one of them. The first is a Supreme Court ruling. I doubt this is possible, even with a 6-3 sympathetic court, so forget that. The other is a new Amendment, an amendment to the 14th that clarifies who is entitled to birthright and that eliminates these loopholes. That is a long process, and in my opinion there are too many blue states where the measure won't pass for it to become a reality. So, sure, I'm glad Trump is tackling the issue, but at best I see a legal battle that leads only to more awareness of the issue, but no favorable resolution. I think the left wins this one, not because I agree with their position, but because the heavy lifting to amend the Constitution will require some support from the left, and I'm not seeing that. That still leaves deportation on the table for many who were NOT born here.

On Deportations: My advice to the Trump Administration is straightforward: expend all your time, energy, and political capital on 1) persons already designated for deportation, 2) persons known to have committed crimes of violence and other serious crimes in their home country, 3) persons who commit additional crimes here in the U.S.A., and 4) members of terrorist groups, including cartels and gangs. We have tens of millions of people here illegally, and I can't fathom a deportation program massive enough to evict them all in 4 years. But there are plenty of "low hanging fruit" that the government can, and should go after. I have little interest in arguments against deporting these folks. The U.S. is a sovereign nation, not a global penal colony. If you're against deporting 1-4, above, you're an idiot, an un-American asshole, or an idiotic anti-American asshole.

Only the wackiest of wackos on the left can argue against deporting Trent de Aragua members.

One of the problems I see on the left, is that their values place protecting people whose status is "undocumented immigrant" (to use their preferred terminology) higher than protecting the safety of U.S. citizenry. That's what sanctuary cities are all about. "We won't let those silly little crimes you commit here be used by the evil, Nazi xenophobes as an excuse to send you away." There isn't much I can do or say that's going to re-shuffle their moral hierarchy cards and re-prioritize. Not going to happen.

What I would also try to do, if I was Trump, is at the same time as I try to rid the country of as many of the aforementioned "low hanging fruits", is to NOT waste time and effort on illegal aliens here who 1) are gainfully employed and can have an employer vouch for them, 2) who are financially self-sufficient and NOT relying on the U.S. taxpayer for food, transportation, or shelter handouts, and 3) who have committed no additional crimes after making illegal entry in the country. 

I know that my ideas here might not be popular with some on the left, nor with others on the right, but we probably have 30,000,000 people here illegally, give or take. I in no way see 7,500,000 deportations a year as remotely possible, which is what it would take to clear them out in 4 years. If we concentrate on the worst of them and help the best of them, maybe something better can come from this very bad situation. If you're hard over on deporting all 30,000,000, all else be damned, prepare to be disappointed. And don't be surprised when you look in the mirror if you someday recognize an asshole looking back at you.