Birthright Citizenship: A Cornerstone of the American Constitution

"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." These are the first words of Section 1 of the 14th Amendment, passed in 1868 at the height of Reconstruction to protect the rights of newly-emancipated African-Americans and other historically-marginalized groups like immigrants. It very clearly defines who an American is and then goes on to outline the rights of an American, which include, but are not limited to, the right to citizenship.

President Trump's threat to revoke the right to birthright citizenship is not just fear-mongering, race-baiting, or even downright xenophobia—it's an attack on our very Constitution. From our beginning we have been a nation of immigrants, a haven for the "huddled masses yearning to breathe free," and the children of these immigrants form the backbone of our republic. I don't have very high expectations at this point in the Trump president—their ideals seem to conveniently fall in line with Trump's every time he tweets a new policy decision—but if they have any conception of what truly makes our country great, I hope they'll take a stand against this blatant threat to the very foundation of our democracy.