Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump wants to deny citizenship to babies of immigrants living in the U.S. illegally as part of an immigration plan that emphasizes border security and deportation for millions.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump wants to deny citizenship to the babies of immigrants living in the U.S. illegally as part of an immigration plan that emphasizes border security and deportation for millions.
He would also rescind Obama administration executive orders on immigration.
Trump described his expanded vision of how to secure American borders during a wide-ranging interview Sunday on NBC's "Meet The Press," saying that he would push to end the constitutionally protected citizenship rights of children of any family living illegally inside the U.S.
"They have to go," Trump said, adding: "What they're doing, they're having a baby. And then all of a sudden, nobody knows ... the baby's here."
Native-born children of immigrants — even those living illegally in the U.S. — have been automatically considered American citizens since the adoption of the 14th Amendment of the Constitution in 1868.
The odds of repealing the amendment’s citizenship clause would be steep, requiring the votes of two-thirds of both houses of Congress and support from three-fourths of the nation’s state legislatures. Republicans in Congress have pushed without success to repeal that provision since 2011. Some conservatives believe the provision could be changed without amending the Constitution.
“They’re illegal,” Mr. Trump said, describing native-born children of people living illegally in the US. “You either have a country or not.”
Mr. Trump, who remains a longshot for the White House, has made immigration the focal point of his campaign since announcing his candidacy in June, when he described some Mexican immigrants in the U.S. illegally as “rapists” and “criminals.” His tough stance on immigration has appealed to a segment of the Republican base and helped the former reality TV star vault ahead of the crowded Republican presidential field.
Mr.Trump’s immigration rhetoric has unnerved Republican leaders who want to woo the rapidly growing bloc of Hispanic voters, who have voted overwhelmingly Democratic in recent Presidential elections.
Mr. Trump’s remarks came as his campaign website posted his program for “immigration reform.”
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush recently released his own immigration plan, which calls for the use of forward bases and drones to guard the border, but also backing an eventual plan to legalize the status of immigrant families.
On Sunday, Ohio Gov. John Kasich said he would "finish the wall" but would then work to legalize 11 million immigrants now estimated to live in the U.S. illegally. He spoke on CBS' "Face the Nation."
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