Trump wants to end birthright citizenship for some US-born babies

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is making another hard line immigration play in the final days before the midterm elections, declaring that he wants to order an end to the constitutional right to citizenship for babies born in the United States to non-citizens.

Most scholars think he can’t implement such a change unilaterally.

With seven days to go before high-stakes elections that he has sought to focus on fearmongering over immigration, Trump made the comments to “Axios on HBO.”

Trump, seeking to energise his supporters and help Republicans keep control of Congress, has stoked anxiety about a caravan of Central American migrants making its way to the U.S.-Mexico border.

His administration announced Monday it was dispatching thousands of active-duty troops to the border, and Trump said he’d set up tent cities to house asylum seekers.

Trump has long called for an end to birthright citizenship, as have many conservatives.

An executive order would spark an uphill legal battle for Trump about whether the president has the unilateral ability to declare that children born in the U.S. to those living there illegally aren’t citizens.

Most scholars think he can’t.

Asked about the legality of such an executive order, Trump said, “they’re saying I can do it just with an executive order.”

He added that “we’re the only country in the world where a person comes in and has a baby, and the baby is essentially a citizen of the United States.”

A 2010 study from the Center for Immigration Studies, a group that supports immigration restrictions, showed that 30 countries offered birthright citizenship.

The president said White House lawyers are reviewing his proposal.

It’s unclear how quickly he would act and the White House did not provide further details.

We want to hear from you! Send us a message on WhatsApp at 1-876-499-0169, email us at editors@gleanerjm.com or onlinefeedback@gleanerjm.com.