'President Should Take Heed': Rep. Mike Coffman Reacts To Trump Naturalized Citizen Plan
AURORA, Colo. (CBS4)- Colorado Congressman Mike Coffman is reacting to Pres. Donald Trump's plan to sign an executive order that would end the right to citizenship for the children of non-citizens and unauthorized immigrants born on U.S. soil.
Coffman, a Republican representing Aurora, tweeted, "I hate to break the news to President Trump, but the Supreme Court isn't going to let him rewrite immigration law by executive fiat, nor should they. We have a Constitution. The President should take heed and follow it."
"We're the only country in the world where a person comes in, has a baby, and the baby is essentially a citizen of the United States for 85 years with all of those benefits," Trump said in an interview for "Axios on HBO."
Several other countries, including Canada, have a policy of birthright citizenship, according to an analysis by the Center for Immigration Studies, which advocates for reducing immigration.
"It's ridiculous. It's ridiculous. And it has to end," he continued.
"It was always told to me that you needed a constitutional amendment. Guess what? You don't," he said, adding that he has run it by his counsel. "You can definitely do it with an act of Congress. But now they're saying I can do it just with an executive order," Trump said.
The President didn't provide any details of his plan, but said that "it's in the process. It'll happen."
Rep. Diana DeGette, a Democrat representing Denver and Englewood, was also critical of Trump's plan, saying it "violates his oath to preserve/protect the Constitution."
