Ending Birthright Citizenship Won’t Make America Great
On Day One of his second administration, President Trump signed an executive order to end birthright citizenship for the children of illegal immigrants and even for children of some temporary visa holders. This idea won’t survive legal scrutiny (it has already been blocked by a judge). But even if allowed to stand, this policy wouldn’t help fix America’s immigration system one bit. What it would do is hinder assimilation and create more problems instead.
It’s unclear why ending birthright citizenship for the targeted populations is a Day One priority for the Trump administration. It’s possible he made the move in part to signal to some of his voter base that he is tough on immigration. The policy would have very little impact on immigration levels for a very simple reason: Immigrants aren’t motivated to come to America primarily to have children.
Alex Nowrasteh, vice president for economic and social policy studies at the Cato Institute, argues that “there’s no evidence that illegal immigrants come for birthright citizenship. They overwhelmingly come for economic opportunity.” Most immigrants are attracted to America because of the prosperity, safety, and political stability made possible by America’s unique freedom. They come here to build a better life – and while having children is sometimes part of the broader project, it’s usually not the primary objective.
Ending birthright citizenship won’t reduce border crossings or make America safer in any way. But it could greatly harm assimilation.
Nowrasteh writes that birthright citizenship “means that every descendant of immigrants has a stake in this nation and does not grow up in a legal underclass.” He goes on to cite the example of Germany, where birthright citizenship didn’t exist, and that created a “parallel society” prone to radicalization. When the German parliament took action to boost assimilation and grant citizenship to the children of some immigrants, the benefits were indisputable – from the parents of the children integrating better into German society to more school enrollments and overall more integration into German society and culture.
Birthright citizenship greatly helps children assimilate to American culture and customs. America’s assimilation model is remarkable – with current immigrants integrating even better into American society than previous generations. This is, in part, because the U.S.-born children of immigrants are citizens with the same rights as every other American. They can work and produce just like their peers, they can serve in the military, and they can enjoy the unique freedoms provided in America and help preserve them.
But if these children’s right to American citizenship is stripped away, they would become part of an underclass of children who would potentially be considered “illegal immigrants” like their parents, with all the implications of that status – including an inability to work legally, travel safely, comply with civic duties, live up to their productive and educational ambitions, and live a life above board like the rest of Americans get to do. They would be forced to live in the shadows.
There are roughly 250,000 children born to illegal immigrant parents each year, per Pew Research. Ending birthright citizenship won’t stop their parents from coming here, but it would add 250,000 people to the illegal immigrant population each year, a population that’s routinely ostracized and lives in constant fear instead of being left free to produce and thrive.
Creating an underclass of people whose only “crime” was being born to parents who are in America illegally (or even somewhat temporarily, per the executive order) can’t possibly benefit America. It will only foster resentment and exclusion, make the most vulnerable individuals among them targets for radicalization, and irreparably harm their prospects for living up to their full potential in the freedom that only America can afford.
A pro-American policy on this matter should respect the rights of these individuals and help create more Americans, not prevent them from existing and, worse, create an underclass of stateless people on U.S. soil. Those concerned about America’s prosperity and values should be reminded that people are the ultimate resource, and having more Americans who produce, trade, and get to live their lives in freedom is a win for America’s prosperity and values – and for the beneficiaries themselves.
Birthright citizenship is key for assimilation and for a freer, safer, and more prosperous America. Those who support ending it should consider whether they want America to alienate millions of children, never fully allowing them to integrate into American society and forcing them to live in the shadows like their parents, or if they want an America with more Americans who can live the promise of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.