Washington − President Donald Trump said Thursday that he expects the United States Supreme Court to support him in the legal struggle to stop citizenship for children of illegal immigrants.
A federal court has stopped Trump’s executive order to eliminate birthright citizenship for children born to undocumented parents. But when asked if he expected at least five of the nine members of the Supreme Court to endorse his viewpoint, Trump responded absolutely.
“I think so, yeah,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office after signing unrelated executive actions. “I just think we’ll win in court, at the Supreme Court.” I think we’ll win that lawsuit. I am looking forward to earning it.”
Trump’s stance looks to be at odds with the 14th Amendment to the Constitution, which was enacted in 1868. The constitutional amendment 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.”
Trump signed the executive order on January 20, his first day in office. Trump stated that while the amendment related to the children of former slaves, which he described as “good and noble,” it is no longer valid in light of international migration.
In halting the order, U.S. District Judge John Coughenour in Seattle stated that it was “blatantly unconstitutional”. However, Trump stated that he would eventually triumph if and when his efforts reached the Supreme Court.
“Birthright citizenship, if you look back at when this was passed – made – that was meant for the children of slaves,” Trump told reporters. “This was not intended to bring the entire world into the United States of America. Everyone is coming in, all of them are completely untrained, and some may have unqualified children. “This wasn’t intended for that.”
