Is it fear or sincere ignorance that consumes the mind and actions of Donald Trump? Probably both. The issue isn’t his disregard for critical thinking, but rather that he is leading in the 2016 presidency.
On June 16, Trump launched his presidential campaign “Make America Great Again.” During his announcement, he discussed the ways in which he would restore the “American dream” by solving the issue that threatens the very core of this dream- illegal immigration.
It is without a doubt we have an issue of immigration in the U.S. However, repealing birthright citizenship is not the solution despite Trump’s conviction.
A staggering problem with repealing birthright citizenship is profiling. If authorities are to crack down on undocumented immigrants having children in the U.S they will invariably target people of Hispanic heritage, since the majority of recent immigrants hail from Latin America. This type of policy will instigate legalized racism, throwing into doubt the citizenship of almost all Latin Americans.
It is inhumane to create citizenship criteria that unfairly affect certain ethnic groups. The entire concept of nationality is origin of birth not ethnic background. And if birthright is removed as the preeminent qualification for citizenship, what will replace it?
Besides the nearly eradicated indigenous population of North America there is no homogenous American ethnicity. Americans vary tremendously in heritage, and establishing a hierarchy of resident ethnicities reeks of fascism. The only constant commonality of Americans is their shared home and the underlying values of the U.S., which are independent of any ethnicity.
America is the land of immigrants. Succeeding waves of immigrants built America and are responsible for its thriving growth and prestige. The new wave of immigrants is no different. They add to the American identity, workforce and character.
It would be inconceivably expensive and painstaking to identify, try it court and remove all undocumented immigrants and their American borne children. The U.S can’t afford such a wasteful witch-hunt to honor immigration laws. It’s simply impractical.
Trump, many of his supporters and some of his GOP rivals propose birthright citizenship under Trump’s unconstitutional terms. This is racist. This is wrong. This is un-American.
