Eric Welsh recently spoke to Fast Company about President Trump’s executive order on Inauguration Day attempting to put an end to birthright citizenship, a practice outlined in the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Eric explains that the executive order could be targeting “anchor babies,” or children of undocumented immigrants who gave birth in the U.S. in hopes of becoming citizens or permanent residents.
However, he tells Fast Company that “ending birthright citizenship is unlikely to reduce the number of children born to illegal immigrants.” “It takes 21 years before your child can help you get citizenship, and it doesn’t overcome barriers if you’ve come here illegally or stayed past a visa,” he explains.
Eric adds that implementing this executive order would instead create a gray area, causing a large group of people to essentially be in limbo. “They won’t be removable, and they won’t have rights,” he continues.
“The implications of implementing this will be more disastrous for the current administration than allowing birthright citizenship to continue,” he concludes.
