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WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. Brian Babin (TX-36), Co-Chairman of the House Border Security Caucus for the 116^th Congress, issued the following statement after introducing a resolution calling on the President to resume the interpretation of section 1 of the 14th Amendment to the Constitution as originally intended and applied as law for a century.

“For a century after its enactment, Section 1 of the 14^th Amendment was properly applied as written and intended to ensure all American citizens were afforded the sacred constitutional protections they deserve. While these important protections remain, in recent decades the misapplication of specific language in the amendment has led to implementation of the practice of birthright citizenship by which children born to foreign nationals – even those here illegally – are automatically granted United States citizenship. Birthright citizenship has long served as a powerful incentive for illegal immigration, and over time has become wrongly accepted as law or protected by our constitution. However, as birthright citizenship is justified due to a faulty legal application and has never been protected by the Supreme Court, ending the practice should not require a constitutional amendment.

“President Trump has boldly committed to examine this issue closely, and I urge my colleagues in the House of Representatives to support my resolution recognizing the imprudence of birthright citizenship and seeking an end to this misguided policy that has fueled illegal immigration and weakened our national sovereignty.”

The resolution, H. Res. 1143, has been referred to the House Judiciary Committee.`

Click here to view the resolution.