GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy announced his support of ending birthright citizenship via constitutional amendment for all individuals whose parents have entered the United States illegally.
We live in a constitutional *Republic*, not a direct democracy. I favor ending birthright citizenship for those whose parents entered the country *illegally* because we shouldn’t reward those who violate the law with the intent of exploiting the citizenship rules. That’s not what… pic.twitter.com/CwMfyrTWug
— Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy) July 7, 2023
“We live in a Constitutional Republic, not a direct democracy,” Ramaswamy, born in Cincinnati to Indian immigrant parents, began in a Friday statement. “I favor ending birthright citizenship for those whose parents entered the country illegally because we shouldn’t reward those who violate the law with the intent of exploiting the citizenship rules. That’s not what our Founding Fathers envisioned.”
The presidential hopeful further said he believes that not just anybody should “automatically inherit the full privileges” of American citizenship until they “earn those privileges.”
“No one born in this country – whether 1st generation or 5th generation – should automatically inherit the full privileges of citizenship until they earn those privileges: every 18-year-old should have to pass the same civics test required of naturalized citizens, or else serve the country for 6 months in a military or first responder role, before earning the full privileges of citizenship,” Ramaswamy continued.
“As our Founding Fathers envisioned, we must have skin in the game to play in the game: civic privileges come with civic duties attached. That’s not ‘extreme,’ that’s just what it means to be a true citizen of a Republic. I favor amending the Constitution accordingly,” Ramaswamy said.
In May, Ramaswamy vowed, as president, to seek a constitutional amendment raising the voting age to 25, as previously reported by The Tennessee Star.
The Republican candidate’s proposed amendment would allow 18- to 24-year-olds to vote under a couple of conditions: That they serve their country in the military or as a first responder for at least six months, or they “pass the same civics test that we make an immigrant pass to actually become a voting citizen this country.”
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network.
