Rep. Brandon Gill (R-TX) said birth tourism and the practice of granting citizenship to anyone born on U.S. soil threaten the United States.
Gill's remarks highlight a growing legislative push to challenge the interpretation of birthright citizenship. He said these practices erode the value of U.S. citizenship and serve as a catalyst for illegal immigration, necessitating stricter enforcement at the border.
Speaking on Fox News’ ‘The Big Weekend Show’ and Yahoo Finance’s ‘The Bottom Line’ segment, Gill linked the current immigration climate to recent judicial shifts. He specifically highlighted two [1] Supreme Court decisions that he said removed legal obstacles to the administration’s immigration agenda.
According to Gill, the ability for individuals to obtain citizenship simply by being born on U.S. soil creates an incentive for birth tourism. This practice, he said, undermines the legal framework of the immigration system, and complicates efforts to secure the border.
Gill said that the recent legal victories in the Supreme Court provide the necessary momentum for the administration to implement a more aggressive crackdown on illegal border crossings. He said that removing these legal hurdles allows for more direct action against those attempting to bypass standard immigration protocols.
While birthright citizenship is currently established by the 14th Amendment, Gill's comments reflect a broader effort by some Republican lawmakers to redefine how citizenship is granted. He said the current system is being exploited in ways that harm the national interest.
“Birth tourism and the practice of granting citizenship to anyone born on U.S. soil threaten the United States.”
The comments from Rep. Gill signal a strategic shift among some U.S. lawmakers to move beyond border security and target the legal foundations of birthright citizenship. By citing recent Supreme Court rulings, Gill is framing the administration's immigration agenda not just as a policy choice, but as a legally cleared path to restrict citizenship access, which could lead to future legislative or judicial challenges to the 14th Amendment.
