{"id":11567680,"date":"2025-07-19T11:30:50","date_gmt":"2025-07-19T15:30:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.baltimoresun.com\/?p=11567680"},"modified":"2025-07-18T22:12:24","modified_gmt":"2025-07-19T02:12:24","slug":"armstrong-williams-reflections-on-birthright-citizenship-staff-commentary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.baltimoresun.com\/2025\/07\/19\/armstrong-williams-reflections-on-birthright-citizenship-staff-commentary\/","title":{"rendered":"Armstrong Williams: Reflections on birthright citizenship | STAFF COMMENTARY"},"content":{"rendered":"

The U.S. Supreme Court issued a ruling banning nationwide injunctions<\/a> in cases brought by individual plaintiffs but left open nationwide class actions under Rule 23 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. A federal judge in New Hampshire has followed that lead in certifying a nationwide class of individuals born in the United States to parents not lawfully present before issuing a nationwide injunction against President Donald Trump\u2019s executive order ending birthright citizenship.<\/p>\n

Adopted in 1868, Section 1 of the 14th Amendment provides, \u201call 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Trump administration contends that the phrase \u201csubject to the jurisdiction thereof\u201d would exclude children born to parents who are not lawful permanent residents or citizens. The contention seems alarming. Does that mean the children are not subject to the laws of the United States and can commit murder, rape, robbery or arson with impunity? The administration further argues that historical context and legislative intent militate against birthright citizenship and supersede the plain language of Section 1.<\/p>\n

If President Trump can end citizenship by executive order, a successor could restore citizenship by revoking Mr. Trump\u2019s handiwork. Indeed, if executive orders determine citizenship, wouldn\u2019t presidents offer the benefit to any alien who promised political support?<\/p>\n

Unbroken precedents for 157 years contradict the Trump administration\u2019s constitutional argument. But the United States Supreme Court can overrule its own decisions, as it did with Dobbs overruling Roe v. Wade and the constitutional right to abortion.<\/p>\n

The Statue of Liberty sports a poem which reads in part, \u201cGive me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.\u201d The statue, accepted as a gift from France in 1886, is a contextual clue of the attitude toward immigrants held by the Fourteenth Amendment\u2019s authors.<\/p>\n

Annually, approximately 255,000 babies are born in the United States to parents who are not citizens of the United States. An indeterminate number are \u201cbirth tourists\u201d who travel to the United States to obtain the benefit of birthright citizenship for their children. The latter may become public burdens. They may require foster care. But isn\u2019t that also true of children born to irresponsible citizen parents? Should children be responsible for the actions of their parents? As the Bible instructs: \u201cFathers shall not be put to death for their children, nor shall children be put to death for their fathers; a person shall be put to death for his own sin.\u201d\u00a0 Moreover, birthright citizenship does not shield alien parents from deportation.<\/p>\n

The average time to become a naturalized U.S. citizen approximates six months. It involves tests, oaths and more. Why shouldn\u2019t such vetting be required of all U.S. citizens? At present, many would flunk the civics test required for naturalization. What about federal income taxes? A large percentage of American households pay nothing.<\/p>\n

The United States’ birthright citizenship is the exception and not the rule internationally. But we pride ourselves as exceptional, beginning with the landmark Declaration of Independence.<\/p>\n

A scalpel is typically preferable to a blunderbuss. Congress is empowered to make \u201cbirth tourism\u201d a crime to deter the same. The punishment would target the parents, not the baby.<\/p>\n

Experience is a great teacher. Birthright citizenship can be repealed by constitutional amendment requiring two-thirds majorities in the U.S. House and Senate and ratification by three-fourths of state legislatures. The Prohibition Amendment was repealed after time proved the cure was worse than the disease.<\/p>\n

Process is more sacrosanct than the result.<\/p>\n

Armstrong Williams (www.armstrongwilliams.com; @arightside) is a political analyst, syndicated columnist and owner of the broadcasting company, Howard Stirk Holdings. He is also part owner of The Baltimore Sun.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The United States’ birthright citizenship may be unique, writes Armstrong Williams, but that doesn’t mean it should be abolished by executive order. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":157,"featured_media":11566588,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"apple_news_api_created_at":"2025-07-19T15:31:08Z","apple_news_api_id":"7f96c3ca-e734-4b60-94ae-585d9a5e87dd","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2025-07-19T15:31:08Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAD\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/w==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/Af5bDyuc0S2CUrlhdml6H3Q","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"middle","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":[],"apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false,"subheadline":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[83,96,99],"tags":[24874,24457],"feature":[],"location":[],"type-of-work":[],"coauthors":[24791],"class_list":["post-11567680","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest-headlines","category-opinion","category-opinion-columnists","tag-armstrong-williams","tag-social"],"post_status":"","edit_last":0,"edit_lock":0,"highlights":"","original_byline":"","original_canonical":"","original_category":"","original_email":"","original_id":0,"original_pubdate":"","original_source":"","primary_section":"99","primary_tag":24874,"print_workflow_body":{"deck_headline":"","print_title":"Armstrong Williams: Reflections on birthright citizenship | STAFF COMMENTARY","print_subheadline":"","print_priority":"","print_placement":"inside","print_planned_ready":"","print_pub_date":"1752984000","print_slug":"TBS-L-ARMSTRONG-0720","print_budget_line":"","print_excerpt":"The United States' birthright citizenship may be unique, writes Armstrong Williams, but that doesn't mean it should be abolished by executive order. ","print_notes":"","photo_limits":"Photo limits are: 1 featured image, 5 featured gallery images, 5 embedded gallery images and 5 in-article embedded images. Articles that exceed these limits will not export. Please adjust images to reflect these limits.","print_featured_gallery_richtext":"","print_inline_galleries_richtext":"","print_inline_images_richtext":"","print_content":"

The U.S. Supreme Court issued a ruling banning nationwide injunctions<\/a> in cases brought by individual plaintiffs but left open nationwide class actions under Rule 23 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. A federal judge in New Hampshire has followed that lead in certifying a nationwide class of individuals born in the United States to parents not lawfully present before issuing a nationwide injunction against President Donald Trump\u2019s executive order ending birthright citizenship.<\/p>

Adopted in 1868, Section 1 of the 14th Amendment provides, \u201call 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.\u201d<\/p>

The Trump administration contends that the phrase \u201csubject to the jurisdiction thereof\u201d would exclude children born to parents who are not lawful permanent residents or citizens. The contention seems alarming. Does that mean the children are not subject to the laws of the United States and can commit murder, rape, robbery or arson with impunity? The administration further argues that historical context and legislative intent militate against birthright citizenship and supersede the plain language of Section 1.<\/p>

If President Trump can end citizenship by executive order, a successor could restore citizenship by revoking Mr. Trump\u2019s handiwork. Indeed, if executive orders determine citizenship, wouldn\u2019t presidents offer the benefit to any alien who promised political support?<\/p>

Unbroken precedents for 157 years contradict the Trump administration\u2019s constitutional argument. But the United States Supreme Court can overrule its own decisions, as it did with Dobbs overruling Roe v. Wade and the constitutional right to abortion.<\/p>

The Statue of Liberty sports a poem which reads in part, \u201cGive me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.\u201d The statue, accepted as a gift from France in 1886, is a contextual clue of the attitude toward immigrants held by the Fourteenth Amendment\u2019s authors.<\/p>

Annually, approximately 255,000 babies are born in the United States to parents who are not citizens of the United States. An indeterminate number are \u201cbirth tourists\u201d who travel to the United States to obtain the benefit of birthright citizenship for their children. The latter may become public burdens. They may require foster care. But isn\u2019t that also true of children born to irresponsible citizen parents? Should children be responsible for the actions of their parents? As the Bible instructs: \u201cFathers shall not be put to death for their children, nor shall children be put to death for their fathers; a person shall be put to death for his own sin.\u201d\u00a0 Moreover, birthright citizenship does not shield alien parents from deportation.<\/p>

The average time to become a naturalized U.S. citizen approximates six months. It involves tests, oaths and more. Why shouldn\u2019t such vetting be required of all U.S. citizens? At present, many would flunk the civics test required for naturalization. What about federal income taxes? A large percentage of American households pay nothing.<\/p>

The United States' birthright citizenship is the exception and not the rule internationally. But we pride ourselves as exceptional, beginning with the landmark Declaration of Independence.<\/p>

A scalpel is typically preferable to a blunderbuss. Congress is empowered to make \u201cbirth tourism\u201d a crime to deter the same. The punishment would target the parents, not the baby.<\/p>

Experience is a great teacher. Birthright citizenship can be repealed by constitutional amendment requiring two-thirds majorities in the U.S. House and Senate and ratification by three-fourths of state legislatures. The Prohibition Amendment was repealed after time proved the cure was worse than the disease.<\/p>

Process is more sacrosanct than the result.<\/p>

Armstrong Williams (www.armstrongwilliams.com; @arightside) is a political analyst, syndicated columnist and owner of the broadcasting company, Howard Stirk Holdings. He is also part owner of The Baltimore Sun.<\/em><\/p>"},"print_workflow_exported_ts":"1752891160","print_workflow_exported_username":"Philip Caldwell","print_workflow_shapes":"","print_workflow_side":{"print_section":"24225","print_status":"24232","add_export_buttons":"","print_endpoint":"tribune"},"really_short_title":"","short_title":"","syndication_source":"","market_neutral_title":"","social_title":"","dfm_hub_post_id":0,"paywall_level":"premium","featured_media_content":{"content_type":"image","content":{"id":11566588,"title":"Immigration_Birthright_Citizenship_02172","filename":"Immigration_Birthright_Citizenship_02172.jpg","url":"https:\/\/www.baltimoresun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Immigration_Birthright_Citizenship_02172.jpg","link":"https:\/\/www.baltimoresun.com\/2025\/07\/18\/immigration-birthright-citizenship-blocked\/immigration_birthright_citizenship_02172\/","alt":"","author":"13","description":"FILE – Hannah Liu, 26, of Washington, holds up a sign in support of birthright citizenship, May 15, 2025, outside of the Supreme Court in Washington. “This is enshrined in the Constitution. My parents are Chinese immigrants,” says Liu. “They came here on temporary visas so I derive my citizenship through birthright.” (AP Photo\/Jacquelyn Martin, File)\n","caption":"FILE – Hannah Liu, 26, of Washington, holds up a sign in support of birthright citizenship, May 15, 2025, outside of the Supreme Court in Washington. “This is enshrined in the Constitution. My parents are Chinese immigrants,” says Liu. “They came here on temporary visas so I derive my citizenship through birthright.”","name":"immigration_birthright_citizenship_02172","status":"inherit","uploadedTo":11566587,"date":1752860539000,"modified":1752891017000,"menuOrder":0,"mime":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/www.baltimoresun.com\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.svg","dateFormatted":"July 18, 2025","nonces":{"update":false,"delete":false,"edit":false},"editLink":false,"meta":false,"authorName":"gqlshare","authorLink":"","uploadedToTitle":"Trump\u2019s birthright citizenship order remains blocked as lawsuits march on after Supreme Court ruling","uploadedToLink":null,"filesizeInBytes":221147,"filesizeHumanReadable":"216 KB","context":"","height":1333,"width":2000,"orientation":"landscape","sizes":{"thumbnail":{"height":"150","width":"150","url":"https:\/\/www.baltimoresun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Immigration_Birthright_Citizenship_02172.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1","orientation":"landscape"},"medium":{"height":200,"width":300,"url":"https:\/\/www.baltimoresun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Immigration_Birthright_Citizenship_02172.jpg?w=300","orientation":"landscape"},"large":{"height":682,"width":1024,"url":"https:\/\/www.baltimoresun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Immigration_Birthright_Citizenship_02172.jpg?w=1024","orientation":"landscape"},"full":{"url":"https:\/\/www.baltimoresun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Immigration_Birthright_Citizenship_02172.jpg","height":1333,"width":2000,"orientation":"landscape"}},"credit":"Jacquelyn Martin\/ Associated Press file","custom_caption":"Hannah Liu, 26, of Washington, holds up a sign in support of birthright citizenship, May 15, 2025, outside of the Supreme Court in Washington. “This is enshrined in the Constitution. My parents are Chinese immigrants,” says Liu. “They came here on temporary visas so I derive my citizenship through birthright.” (AP Photo\/Jacquelyn Martin, File)\r\n"},"data":[{"id":11566588,"title":"Immigration_Birthright_Citizenship_02172","filename":"Immigration_Birthright_Citizenship_02172.jpg","url":"https:\/\/www.baltimoresun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Immigration_Birthright_Citizenship_02172.jpg","link":"https:\/\/www.baltimoresun.com\/2025\/07\/18\/immigration-birthright-citizenship-blocked\/immigration_birthright_citizenship_02172\/","alt":"","author":"13","description":"FILE – Hannah Liu, 26, of Washington, holds up a sign in support of birthright citizenship, May 15, 2025, outside of the Supreme Court in Washington. “This is enshrined in the Constitution. My parents are Chinese immigrants,” says Liu. “They came here on temporary visas so I derive my citizenship through birthright.” (AP Photo\/Jacquelyn Martin, File)\n","caption":"FILE – Hannah Liu, 26, of Washington, holds up a sign in support of birthright citizenship, May 15, 2025, outside of the Supreme Court in Washington. “This is enshrined in the Constitution. My parents are Chinese immigrants,” says Liu. “They came here on temporary visas so I derive my citizenship through birthright.”","name":"immigration_birthright_citizenship_02172","status":"inherit","uploadedTo":11566587,"date":1752860539000,"modified":1752891017000,"menuOrder":0,"mime":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/www.baltimoresun.com\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.svg","dateFormatted":"July 18, 2025","nonces":{"update":false,"delete":false,"edit":false},"editLink":false,"meta":false,"authorName":"gqlshare","authorLink":"","uploadedToTitle":"Trump\u2019s birthright citizenship order remains blocked as lawsuits march on after Supreme Court ruling","uploadedToLink":null,"filesizeInBytes":221147,"filesizeHumanReadable":"216 KB","context":"","height":1333,"width":2000,"orientation":"landscape","sizes":{"thumbnail":{"height":"150","width":"150","url":"https:\/\/www.baltimoresun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Immigration_Birthright_Citizenship_02172.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1","orientation":"landscape"},"medium":{"height":200,"width":300,"url":"https:\/\/www.baltimoresun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Immigration_Birthright_Citizenship_02172.jpg?w=300","orientation":"landscape"},"large":{"height":682,"width":1024,"url":"https:\/\/www.baltimoresun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Immigration_Birthright_Citizenship_02172.jpg?w=1024","orientation":"landscape"},"full":{"url":"https:\/\/www.baltimoresun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Immigration_Birthright_Citizenship_02172.jpg","height":1333,"width":2000,"orientation":"landscape"}},"credit":"Jacquelyn Martin\/ Associated Press file","custom_caption":"Hannah Liu, 26, of Washington, holds up a sign in support of birthright citizenship, May 15, 2025, outside of the Supreme Court in Washington. “This is enshrined in the Constitution. My parents are Chinese immigrants,” says Liu. “They came here on temporary visas so I derive my citizenship through birthright.” (AP Photo\/Jacquelyn Martin, File)\r\n"}],"rendered_content":"\"\""},"attachments":[],"authors":[{"ID":9519673,"display_name":"Armstrong Williams","description":"","first_name":"Armstrong","last_name":"Williams","user_nicename":"armstrong-williams","user_login":"armstrong-williams","user_email":"","type":"guest-author","linked_account":0,"website":"","twitter":"","facebook":"","google_plus":""}],"taxonomies":{"category":[{"term_id":83,"name":"Latest Headlines","slug":"latest-headlines","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":83,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":72148,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":96,"name":"Opinion","slug":"opinion","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":96,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":101122,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":99,"name":"Opinion Columnists","slug":"opinion-columnists","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":99,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":96,"count":6030,"filter":"raw"}],"post_tag":[{"term_id":24874,"name":"Armstrong Williams","slug":"armstrong-williams","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":24874,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":345,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":24457,"name":"social","slug":"social","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":24457,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":8116,"filter":"raw"}]},"featured_media_array":{"id":11566588,"title":"Immigration_Birthright_Citizenship_02172","filename":"Immigration_Birthright_Citizenship_02172.jpg","url":"https:\/\/www.baltimoresun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Immigration_Birthright_Citizenship_02172.jpg","link":"https:\/\/www.baltimoresun.com\/2025\/07\/18\/immigration-birthright-citizenship-blocked\/immigration_birthright_citizenship_02172\/","alt":"","author":"13","description":"FILE – Hannah Liu, 26, of Washington, holds up a sign in support of birthright citizenship, May 15, 2025, outside of the Supreme Court in Washington. “This is enshrined in the Constitution. My parents are Chinese immigrants,” says Liu. “They came here on temporary visas so I derive my citizenship through birthright.” (AP Photo\/Jacquelyn Martin, File)\n","caption":"FILE – Hannah Liu, 26, of Washington, holds up a sign in support of birthright citizenship, May 15, 2025, outside of the Supreme Court in Washington. “This is enshrined in the Constitution. My parents are Chinese immigrants,” says Liu. “They came here on temporary visas so I derive my citizenship through birthright.”","name":"immigration_birthright_citizenship_02172","status":"inherit","uploadedTo":11566587,"date":1752860539000,"modified":1752891017000,"menuOrder":0,"mime":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/www.baltimoresun.com\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.svg","dateFormatted":"July 18, 2025","nonces":{"update":false,"delete":false,"edit":false},"editLink":false,"meta":false,"authorName":"gqlshare","authorLink":"","uploadedToTitle":"Trump\u2019s birthright citizenship order remains blocked as lawsuits march on after Supreme Court ruling","uploadedToLink":null,"filesizeInBytes":221147,"filesizeHumanReadable":"216 KB","context":"","height":1333,"width":2000,"orientation":"landscape","sizes":{"thumbnail":{"height":"150","width":"150","url":"https:\/\/www.baltimoresun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Immigration_Birthright_Citizenship_02172.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1","orientation":"landscape"},"medium":{"height":200,"width":300,"url":"https:\/\/www.baltimoresun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Immigration_Birthright_Citizenship_02172.jpg?w=300","orientation":"landscape"},"large":{"height":682,"width":1024,"url":"https:\/\/www.baltimoresun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Immigration_Birthright_Citizenship_02172.jpg?w=1024","orientation":"landscape"},"full":{"url":"https:\/\/www.baltimoresun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Immigration_Birthright_Citizenship_02172.jpg","height":1333,"width":2000,"orientation":"landscape"}},"credit":"Jacquelyn Martin\/ Associated Press file","custom_caption":"Hannah Liu, 26, of Washington, holds up a sign in support of birthright citizenship, May 15, 2025, outside of the Supreme Court in Washington. “This is enshrined in the Constitution. My parents are Chinese immigrants,” says Liu. “They came here on temporary visas so I derive my citizenship through birthright.” (AP Photo\/Jacquelyn Martin, File)\r\n"},"syndication_canonical":"https:\/\/www.baltimoresun.com\/2025\/07\/19\/armstrong-williams-reflections-on-birthright-citizenship-staff-commentary\/","apple_news_notices":[],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/baltimoresun.com\/2025\/07\/19\/armstrong-williams-reflections-on-birthright-citizenship-staff-commentary\/","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Armstrong Williams: Reflections on birthright citizenship | STAFF COMMENTARY","url":"http:\/\/www.baltimoresun.com\/2025\/07\/19\/armstrong-williams-reflections-on-birthright-citizenship-staff-commentary\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/www.baltimoresun.com\/2025\/07\/19\/armstrong-williams-reflections-on-birthright-citizenship-staff-commentary\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.baltimoresun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Immigration_Birthright_Citizenship_02172.jpg?w=150","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.baltimoresun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Immigration_Birthright_Citizenship_02172.jpg"},"articleSection":"Other","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Armstrong Williams"}],"creator":["Armstrong Williams"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Baltimore Sun","logo":"https:\/\/www.baltimoresun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/baltimore-sun-fallback.png?w=600"},"keywords":["armstrong williams","social"],"dateCreated":"2025-07-19T15:30:50Z","datePublished":"2025-07-19T15:30:50Z","dateModified":"2025-07-19T15:30:50Z"},"rendered":"