If you thought it was over when the Supreme Court told him “No” you don’t understand 47 or the overall regime mentality at all. Just weeks ago, at the end of June, I wrote about how the Supreme Court handed the president a loss by telling him his sweeping order to end birthright citizenship was unconstitutional—and I noted that there is no guarantee of safety in that because the administration is determined on this topic.
Predictably, he’s back again, this time with a pair of fresh new executive orders, one to put a stop to birth tourism and one to broaden the categories of children who would be ineligible for birthright citizenship.
Pay attention to this, because it has meaning for you, too. Yes, you. Specifically. Even if you are not an immigrant or the child of immigrants. We’ll get to that a little later, though.
The birth tourism-focused order bothers me far less than the other one. It’s not that I agree with much of what the administration does (in fact, almost none of what they do), it’s just that, in principle, I don’t see much problem with limiting birth tourism. It’s one thing to be an undocumented immigrant trying to make a life for yourself in this country. I respect that, and frankly our economy has relied on such people for ages and we’re seeing a lot of problems now from the maniacal push to expel so many of them from the country now.
You see, if you’re trying to make a life here and contribute to the country (and the chances that any undocumented immigrant is living off government aid is laughably low and unlikely), you will likely also want to start a family. And if a child is born here, this is the only country they know. It makes all the sense in the world for those kids to be automatic citizens.
Birth tourism is different because it’s an intentional almost fraudulent act; you aren’t living here and you aren’t looking to make a life here. You are simply trying to produce a citizen. Very few women travel to foreign countries when they’re about to pop out a baby and very few are doing work travel like that either. My biggest concern for a regime push against birth tourism will be the innocent pregnant women who get extra (and nasty and potentially horrific) treatment by ICE or Border Patrol or something just because they were in a situation where travel couldn’t be avoided (maybe a sick family member or wedding or who knows what).
It’s the other executive order that I really, really, truly have a huge problem with—and a frighteningly disturbing problem at that. Because, you see, as I have hinted at or stated outright before in posts about this issue in general, the regime’s attempts to limit birthright citizenship have the potential to be extended to actual citizens who are the children of citizens.
This new executive order is 47’s attempt to “refine” his limitations on who qualifies for birthright citizenship and make his effort “constitutional.” It unfortunately will likely mean another round with the Supreme Court which could take months or years to happen depending on their mood, and it is entirely possible they could rule both of these executive orders as perfectly fine, especially the more insidious one that broadens the categories of which kids aren’t eligible for birthright citizenship.
That order in some ways sticks pretty closely to what the 14th Amendment already stipulates, in that it reiterates that the children of foreign diplomats (which can and should be interpreted as a lot of things other than literal diplomats, like employees of embassies and visiting foreign leaders) aren’t eligible, and talks about a few other categories that have traditionally been excluded, like children born on foreign ships or the children born to anyone who is part of an occupying foreign force.
Those are reasonable. But his list of exclusions starts with something ominous, and it goes like this:
Children are excluded from birthright citizenship, the White House says, if “either parent of that person is an alien enemy, defined to include any member of a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization under 8 U.S.C. 1189 or Specially Designated Global Terrorist, consistent with the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, 50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq., and Executive Order 13224 of September 23, 2001 (Blocking Property and Prohibiting Transactions With Persons Who Commit, Threaten to Commit, or Support Terrorism), as amended”
That’s a mouthful, but if you’ve been following along with this administration and with my writings, remember that what the regime considers a “terrorist” or an “alien enemy” now is very broad indeed.
First, as it relates to immigrants and their children, all the administration has to do now is to claim that the parents belong to a cartel gang or something. Or Al Queda or the Islamic State or whatever. They’ve already used such gang claims (false typically) to justify ICE attacks on entire buildings or neighborhoods. Given the speed with which ICE moves these days to deport, it would be a slam-dunk to just deny that the child of immigrants who was born here is a citizen because their parents were “part of a cartel” and kick them out with their parents.
And before you note the fact that small children probably shouldn’t be left in this country without their undocumented parents anyway, remember that “child” doesn’t always mean minor. We’re also talking about teens and adults who are children of undocumented immigrants—people who might have lived here for decades and now could have their citizenship stripped away by simply making a false assertion that their parents were “alien enemies” or “terrorists.”
It could also be aimed at documented immigrants and naturalized citizens and their children. Oh, so your parents are here legally or they were naturalized? Boo-hoo, because we say they were terrorists and that nullifies you as a citizen.
So why do I say this affects all of you out there who aren’t immigrants or the children of immigrants?
Because look at how the regime broadened the definition of terrorism, an executive order that hasn’t been challenged in the Supreme Court. If you’re anti-fascist (often shortened antifa) they say you’re part of a terrorist group called Antifa that doesn’t even exist. And the president’s executive order on fighting terrorism lists that behaviors indicative of terrorism include “anti-Americanism, anti-capitalism, and anti-Christianity; support for the overthrow of the United States Government; extremism on migration, race, and gender; and hostility towards those who hold traditional American views on family, religion, and morality.”
I’ve already warned about how this can be twisted to criminalize about half of the adult voting population if not more.
Do you see how short a jump it is to tie it to birthright citizenship?
If they can so easily brand you a terrorist for supporting LGBTQ+ rights (gender extremism) or advocating for universal healthcare (anti-capitalism) or whatever, that means they can brand your parents the same way. Or their parents. Or their parents before them. And so on and so on.
They could nullify the citizenship of anyone they want with the scantest of evidence or proof now. It could just be a few online rants on social media that show you or your parents are “hostile to traditional American values.”
And believe me, that’s something they want the power to do.
And it’s just a hair away if these orders (including the earlier one on terrorist “categories”) aren’t challenged and struck down.
If you think they will stop at immigrants, you are naïve. You aren’t paying attention. No, they probably wouldn’t try to eliminate the citizenship of whole entire ethnic, racial, or religious groups. They probably won’t eliminate the citizenship of every trans person. But they would have a tool that they could whip out for anyone who bothers them enough.
And yes, just like that…poof! You’re no longer a citizen and maybe you’re sent off to a foreign prison as well.
It’s just that easy, and that’s why 47’s more “restrained” second attempt at limiting birthright citizenship is actually a bit more scary than his first attempt, because he links it directly to his broad order on defining what terrorism is.
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Image by Sander Samm, obtained via Unsplash
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