Los Angeles — The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA), rejected President Trump’s latest proposal to take away birthright citizenship to children born of certain immigrants.
President Trump’s announcement that he is thinking of taking away birthright citizenship is a serious blow to our system of checks and balances, and to the Constitution itself.
As so often happens with this administration, Mr. Trump is scapegoating immigrants with this proposal, to rally his base just days before a major election and to distract from the real damage he has already done to our system of checks and balances.
But make no mistake. Taking away birthright citizenship harms our entire nation, not just immigrants.
Once we lose the countervailing powers of Congress and the courts, no one is safe: those who are friends of the president will have legitimacy, and those who oppose him will not. Inalienable rights are no longer inalienable.
We have seen how erratic Mr. Trump can be, and how quickly those who are ‘in’ can end up dumped on the curb. We don’t need that kind of favoritism in regard to such an important matter as citizenship.
Clearly President Trump is rallying his base with this announcement, so let us not lose sight of the importance of voting on Tuesday, November 6.”
Angelica Salas is the executive director of CHIRLA.