Trump derided birthright citizenship during his first presidential campaign and announced in 2018 that he planned to revoke it by an executive order that was “in the process” of being drafted.
Birthright citizenship isn’t a privilege that presidents can bestow or withdraw at will.
He demanded to know if “people from Borneo, man-eaters or cannibals if you please,” would likewise be entitled to citizenship.
Trump can deride birthright citizenship as “ridiculous,” but it is bedrock constitutional law.
Federal prosecutors tried to argue that birthright citizenship didn’t include Wong, and that since his parents were Chinese, he was too.
In short, birthright citizenship is a constitutional entitlement that cannot be abrogated by executive order or even legislation.
That isn’t a “ridiculous” policy but a sublime one, and it would be a grievous error to overturn it. »