Order 14156 is ‘absurd interpretation’ of the 14th Amendment
To the Editor,
End Birthright Citizenship — that is what the Trump Administration is demanding. The Fourteenth Amendment says, “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States ….” One justification for ending birthright citizenship is because undocumented migrants are not “subject to the jurisdiction [of the United States.]” But this is counter intuitive. If undocumented migrants are not subject to the laws of the United States, then every state and federal prosecution against every single undocumented migrant must cease immediately; every deportation effort must halt. Either all persons in the United States are subject to U.S. jurisdiction, and her laws, or they are not subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, and we may not invoke U.S. jurisdiction to prosecute undocumented migrants.
Executive Order 14156 leads to an absurd interpretation of the Fourteenth Amendment.
The United States is “the melting pot” of the world. The American Dream attracts talented and motivated individuals from all over the world. I implore each person coming to the United States to use legal channels and to enter the United States with proper documentation.
With that said, I swore an oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States of America, and its plain language states that “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States ….” Therefore, I do not support Executive Order 14156.
Mitchell Jacob Newcastle
