Almost every family in the Arab and Middle Eastern world has considered at some point giving birth in the United States to guarantee the American citizenship for their children. Egypt, in particular, is no stranger to women leaving the country in their third trimester to ensure a better future for their kids. Well, it seems that trump is trying to end the American dream for everyone in the Middle East.
In an exclusive interview for Axios on HBO, President Trump announced his plans to remove the right to citizenship for babies of non-citizens and unauthorized immigrants born on U.S. soil. “It was always told to me that you needed a constitutional amendment. Guess what? You don’t,” Trump said, declaring he can do it by executive order. The 1868 text states, “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.”
“We’re the only country in the world where a person comes in and has a baby, and the baby is essentially a citizen of the United States, with all of those benefits,” Trump continued. “It’s ridiculous! It’s ridiculous, and it has to end.”
The statement, however, is inaccurate as several other countries grant birthright citizenship, according to an analysis by the Center for Immigration Studies. According to the CIA World Factbook, countries such as Canada, Venezuela, Chile, Mexico, and Uruguay and Peru recognize jus soli, the Latin term for “right of the soil”.