Lindsey Graham backs an executive order to end birthright citizenship. In 2010, he pushed for a constitutional amendment.
President Trump's promise to end birthright citizenship by executive order seems to have the approval of one of his biggest fans in Congress.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) on Tuesday applauded Trump for being "willing to take on this absurd policy of birthright citizenship." In an interview with Axios aired hours earlier, Trump said he plans to do so by executive order, despite the fact that this is a right guaranteed by the 14th Amendment. Graham has always been in support of changing the law so that being born in the United States does not guarantee a person citizenship, but in 2010, he seemed to believe that this would require a constitutional amendment.
He even planned to introduce an amendment himself: "We should change our Constitution and say if you come here illegally and you have a child, that child's automatically not a citizen," he said at the time, per Politico.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Now, Graham says he will introduce legislation that will be "along the same lines as the proposed executive order" from Trump. Graham didn't explicitly clarify whether he believes the executive order would be constitutional, and he's still suggesting Congress step in, but at the very least he clearly supports Trump's comments. Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) introduced a failed bill last year to redefine the 14th Amendment so that the children of undocumented immigrants would not be guaranteed citizenship.
Trump declared while speaking to Axios, though, that he doesn't need Congress. "It was always told to me that you needed a constitutional amendment," Trump said. "Guess what? You don't." Plenty of legal scholars disagree with this assessment, and even House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) said Tuesday, "You cannot end birthright citizenship with an executive order."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
-
'United States of Anxiety'
Today's Newspapers A roundup of the headlines from the US front pages
By The Week Staff Published
-
Langdale Chase Hotel: a cosy nook in the Lake District
The Week Recommends This Victorian villa has breathtaking views and expansive gardens
By Natasha Langan Published
-
Orkney's war on stoats
In the Spotlight A coordinated stoat cull on the Scottish islands has proved successful – and conservationists aren't slowing down
By Abby Wilson Published
-
ATF finalizes rule to close 'gun show loophole'
Speed Read Biden moves to expand background checks for gun buyers
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Hong Kong passes tough new security law
Speed Read It will allow the government to further suppress all forms of dissent
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
France enshrines abortion rights in constitution
speed read It became the first country to make abortion a constitutional right
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Texas executes man despite contested evidence
Speed Read Texas rejected calls for a rehearing of Ivan Cantu's case amid recanted testimony and allegations of suppressed exculpatory evidence
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Supreme Court wary of state social media regulations
Speed Read A majority of justices appeared skeptical that Texas and Florida were lawfully protecting the free speech rights of users
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Greece legalizes same-sex marriage
Speed Read Greece becomes the first Orthodox Christian country to enshrine marriage equality in law
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump and his lawyer Alina Habba have a rough day in defamation court
Speed Read Trump's audible grousing as E. Jean Carroll testified earned him a warning he could be thrown out of court, and Habba showed she 'doesn't know what the hell she's doing'
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Anders Breivik to testify in prison isolation lawsuit against Norway
Speed Read Far-right fanatic who killed 77 people in 2011 claims he has received 'inhuman treatment' in custody
By The Week UK Published