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Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton introduces bill to amend birthright citizenship

The Constitutional Citizenship Clarification Act would "make children of illegal immigrants, terrorists, and foreign spies ineligible for birthright citizenship."

ARKANSAS, USA — Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton introduced the Constitutional Citizenship Clarification Act on Wednesday, June 5. According to the release, this legislation is to "amend birthright citizenship."

The legislation is co-sponsored by Tennesse Senator Marsha Blackburn, Texas Senator Ted Cruz and Ohio Senator J.D. Vance, according to the release.

What is birthright citizenship?

Birthright citizenship means that almost anyone born in the U.S. is automatically given citizenship. 

The Constitutional Citizenship Clarification Act would "make children of illegal immigrants, terrorists, and foreign spies ineligible for birthright citizenship," the release said.  

This would amend the Immigration and Nationality Act "to clarify" that children are not eligible for birthright citizenship if: 

1. The parents are "unlawfully present" in the U.S.

2. The parents are in the U.S. for "diplomatic purposes" 

3. The parents are "engaged in a hostile operation against the U.S." 

Why is this bill being introduced? 

According to the bill, the purpose behind this is to:

"Codify the common law exception to birthright citizenship for ambassadors and invaders," and to "clarify that other categories of disloyal or disobedient aliens are also subject to exception." 

Senator Tom Cotton released the following statement.

“There is no constitutional right for illegal aliens to cross the border to gain citizenship for their children. Granting birthright citizenship to illegal aliens has contributed to the highest levels of illegal immigration in history. Fixing this will help reduce the damage from Biden’s catastrophic border crisis.”

To view the full bill, click here.  

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