Trump could be right

Donald Trump, like him or not, he could be right.

Right about what you ask? Anchor Babies is what I'm talking about, and he could be right. He told Bill O'Reilly the other night: "I don't think Anchor Babies have American citizenship ... and many good lawyers agree with me ... and we have to start a process where we take back our country." O'Reilly and a lot of others believe the only way to rid ourselves of Anchor Babies is to amend the Constitution. Trump says no. "There is another way, but it has never been tested," And he intends to test it. That's when I looked it up, and "The Donald" just might be right.

Here is the first sentence of the 14th Amendment: "All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and the state wherein they reside." This amendment was written and ratified to protect the rights of native-born Black Americans, who were former slaves because back in that time (1868) many Southern states were still disallowing citizenship to them. It was definitely not meant to bestow citizenship on Anchor Babies.

The phrase "subject to the jurisdiction thereof" was meant to exclude persons who are citizens of another country from getting automatic citizenship, just because they are born in the U.S. It's plain to me that people who are in this country unlawfully, and give birth, still owe their allegiance to their native country, and so does their child. An author of the 14th Amendment, Senator Jacob Howard, said this: "Every person born in the U.S., and subject to its jurisdiction by virtue of natural and national law, is a citizen of the U.S. This will not include persons born in the U.S. who are foreigners or aliens who belong to the families of ambassadors, or foreign ministers. ... It settles the great question of citizenship and removes all doubt as to who are or are not citizens of the U.S."

It is interesting to note that American Indians were not covered by this amendment because they were subject to the laws of their respective Indian Nation's Congress passed the Citizens Act of 1924, 56 years after the ratification of the 14th Amendment, finally recognizing American Indians and Eskimos as citizens at birth. The Anchor Baby rule has never been argued before the Supreme Court, but as Trump said, many legal scholars believe that the correct interpretation is that an illegal alien mother and her baby are subject to the jurisdiction of her native country. I agree, but remember, I'm not a lawyer.

The final section of the 14th Amendment gives Congress the power to enforce its provisions by appropriate legislation, meaning it not only has the power to enforce but it also has the power to affirm the meaning. Congress should do so immediately. Pass a resolution stating that anyone born in this country is not a citizen if the parent is here unlawfully (illegal alien). I wonder how many of our esteemed Representatives and Senators have the courage to sponsor or vote for such a law. I would like to know who in Congress truly supports clarifying this.

I'm not sure how Trump intends to test the law, but I agree with The Donald, clarifying the 14th Amendment is a good place to start. We must begin to take our country back. Stating clearly who is and who is not a citizen is a must, along with making our border secure, especially our Southern border. I do not agree with Trump that we should, or can, deport the 11 million or more who reside here now even though they are here unlawfully. Due process (a right to a hearing) makes it not feasible or practical and it would take more than 40 years to remove those who are here now if we continue at the pace we are on, which is about 250,000 per year.

I opine, you decide.

-- Willie Williams is a Siloam Springs resident. He can be reached at [email protected]. The opinions expressed are those of the author.

Editorial on 08/26/2015