Born In the USA? Not So Fast, Immigrant Son

Remember back in the summer of 2015 when Donald Trump came down that escalator to announce he was running for President of the United States of America?

 

Oh how we laughed.

And we laughed.

And we laughed.

And we laughed.

And we…..

 

Yeah, I know. I know. 

 

Remember his big issue, illegal immigrants flooding the border with crime and excessive raping?  

 

Wow, he really screwed up talking like that, didn’t he? And this guy thinks he’s going to be President of the United States of America?

 

Oh how we laughed.

And we laughed.

And we laughed.

And we laughed.

And we…..

 

Oh shut the fuck up, Dave-El.  

 

There some things to remember about Trump and his base when it comes to immigration. As much as the complaints might be voiced about illegal immigration, the complaint is about immigration. When the person with a different skin color or accent is your completion for a job, it is irrelevant if that person is here legally or illegally. If you’re poor, stupid and white, you don’t want that person with a different skin color or accent here at all.

 

Hence the demonization of all immigrants that has proceeded from Trump himself to his cronies in Washington to his mouth pieces on Fox News. The efforts that I have recounted on this blog led by Stephen Miller on Trump’s behalf not just to curb or stop immigrants from entering this country illegally but to curb or stop immigrants from entering this country at all. 

 

The hysteria over the caravan from Honduras is a prime example. These are people who are so fucking miserable and in such danger where they are, they have elected to walk thousands of miles on foot northward on the hope of a better life, a chance to live free from crime, tyranny, torture and oppression.  They’re collective effort to seek out a better life has been deemed an invasion and an attack by Donald Trump. Pundits on Fox gasp breathlessly at the fearful knowledge that these people are coming HERE? They pose such a threat that Trump has over 5,000 troops heading to the border to del with this threat.

 

Trump is not done. 

 

Trump plans to sign an executive order that would end birthright citizenship for the children of many immigrants to the U.S.

 

“We're the only country in the world where a person comes in, has a baby, and the baby is essentially a citizen of the United States for 85 years with all of those benefits. It's ridiculous. It's ridiculous. And it has to end. It's in the process. It'll happen with an executive order.” 

 

So many lies, so little time.

 

The U.S. is not the only nation in the world that grants birthright citizenship, At least 32 other nations had passed laws granting some form of birthright citizenship.

 

The concept of immigrants having access to benefits available to US citizens is a long time bone of contention among  Trump’s base even though studies show recent immigrants are no more dependent on these benefits than natural born citizens and are often less likely to use such resources.

 

Citizenship is awarded to children born in the U.S., or in U.S. territories, to parents of immigrants to the country as allowed under the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution. This cannot be waived away with a stroke of one of Donald Trump’s Sharpies.  The "Citizenship Clause" of the Fourteenth Amendment states that "All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside."

 

Many legal scholars believe the issue was settled by Supreme Court  rulings in 1898 and in 1982.   

 

A poll from September 2017 found that 65 percent of Americans believe the U.S. should continue granting citizenship to all children born in the country. Only 30 percent said this should be changed so children of undocumented immigrants aren't automatically granted citizenship.

 

Trump's executive order, if and when it is signed, will almost certainly face legal challenges but that is beside the point. Trump had called for ending “birthright citizenship” back during the 2016 campaign so he can pull on his big boy pants, sit down at his big boy desk and pull out his big boy pen to sign an important looking paper to make it look like he’s doing something about. He can tout it at the rallies as another one of his “Promises Made, Promises Kept” if the “keeping” of that promise gets stalled in the courts. 

 

This is not leadership, this is not the practice of a democratic republic. This assault on immigrants is about ruling in fear. Trump keeps his base as long as he keeps them afraid.