Democrat Obstruction And Republican Reluctance Can’t Avoid Immigration Issue

GROSSMAN: TRUMP’S 14^TH AMENDMENT QUESTION OPENING DOOR FOR COMPREHENSIVE IMMIGRATION REFORM

Somers Point, NJ, November 1, 2018 – With a Leftist organization sponsored caravan of several thousand people preparing to storm the U.S. southern border, President Trump is now forcing Congress to at long last address the need to reform immigration policy in the United States by proposing his use of an Executive Order to eliminate ‘birthright citizenship’ for illegal aliens inside the country.

The very thought of his proposal has Washington Democrats squirming, while U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) plans to introduce legislation backing the policy change.

“Donald Trump gets things done.  As the banners say at his rallies – ‘Promises Made, Promises Kept.’  He said during his 2016 Presidential campaign that comprehensive immigration reform is absolutely necessary – an issue that previous Presidents and Congress have shunned – so he’s making it happen,” said Seth Grossman, the Republican candidate for Congress in NJ’s 2^nd District.

“The fact that it raises the question of whether the 14^th Amendment of the Constitution affirms ‘birthright citizenship’ means that there is a showdown ahead, likely ending up in the Supreme Court and possibly requiring a Constitutional Amendment which requires a two-thirds majority of both houses of Congress and three quarters of all 50 states to ratify.  But like President John F. Kennedy once said, ‘a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.’  President Trump is taking that step for the betterment of the nation.”

The 14^th Amendment, which was drafted by Congressional Republicans in 1868 to provide citizenship to former slaves following the Civil War, begins by stating “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.”  The legal question is whether a child born of a non-citizen – albeit an illegal alien – would receive automatic citizenship when the child’s parents are not citizens.

The question is not merely about the right to citizenship.  The U.S. is one of only a handful of countries in the world that has been granting ‘birthright citizenship’ and because of that policy it has become a magnet for illegal immigration, such as the caravan from south America now approaching the border, and ‘birth tourism’ which attracts pregnant women from China, Taiwan, Mexico and Turkey who are paying as much as $50,000 to come to the U.S. to give birth to their children.

The issue is not simply one of offering humanitarian aid to the oppressed or less fortunate, but video images of the caravan migrants lawlessly tearing down the gates of a Mexico border crossing offer a stark reminder of the real need for increased border security and vetting who America allows to immigrate here.  In 2010, the Center for Immigration Studies estimated that between 300,000 and 400,000 children are born to illegal aliens in the U.S. each year, who hardworking taxpayers have to educate, provide health care and food stamps at an estimated $2.4 billion annually.  A 2015 Center For Immigration Studies report found that 51 percent of immigrant-headed households used at least one federal program to receive cash, food, housing or medical care, compared to 30 percent of native American households.

“The United States welcomes more immigrants than any nation in the world, and we will continue to do so.  But we are a nation of laws, and for the protection and well-being of our citizens, and all those who desire to become citizens, we must continue to follow those laws.  We have a right and responsibility to protect our nation,” Grossman said.  “The Democrats have politicized the immigration issue and refused to move on immigration reform when given the opportunity.  The Trump Administration proposed legislation that would have allowed nearly two million ‘dreamers’ to become legal citizens in exchange for $25 billion to build the border wall, but the Democrats refused.  Some of the Democrat proposals, such as in California to give all illegals free healthcare, are paths to complete economic collapse.”

“The immigration issue isn’t just securing our borders, but the need to enact real reform establishing a responsible pathway to citizenship.  There’s nothing wrong with vetting the people coming here, and there’s nothing wrong with asking them to become responsible, self-reliant citizens assimilating into our culture and society.  This nation was founded by people doing just that.  Building the wall is proceeding slowly, but Democrat obstruction has delayed securing the border properly to curtail illegal immigration and stem the drug smuggling that is feeding the opioid epidemic and killing thousands of Americans.  President Trump is now moving us forward.”

            Seth Grossman and Jeff Van Drew are facing off in New Jersey’s 2^nd Congressional District.  The seat, which has been represented by retiring U.S. Rep. Frank LoBiondo for 24 years, includes the counties of Cape May, Atlantic, Cumberland and Salem and parts of Camden, Gloucester, Burlington and Ocean counties.  Donald Trump won the district by five points in the 2016 election.  For additional information log onto www.GrossmanForCongress.com.