‘What Justifies That?’ Fox’s Varney Presses Vivek Ramaswamy on ‘Radical’ Call to End Birthright Citizenship

Fox Business’ Stuart Varney questioned Vivek Ramaswamy on his “radical” position for deporting the children of undocumented immigrants, even if they were born into citizenship within the United States.

Varney interviewed Ramaswamy on Monday, and led with clips of the Republican presidential candidate outlining his views about deportation at an Iowa town hall. Ramaswamy said he wouldn’t separate undocumented migrant families as president, but he established his position that “the family unit will be deported.”

This prompted a reporter to ask Ramaswamy if this family deportation would include children born in the U.S. who hold birthright citizenship under the Constitution.

“Yes,” Ramaswamy answered. “There are legally contested questions under the 14th Amendment of whether the child of an illegal immigrant is indeed a child who enjoys birthright citizenship or not. They are contested.”

“Radical stuff,” Varney called it as he welcomed Ramaswamy onto the show. “That was very strong stuff, outlawing birthright citizenship. What justifies that?”

Ramaswamy’s answer:

If you have entered this country illegally with the intention of having a child here as a basis for establishing citizenship in this country, that is not something the 14th Amendment was designed to protect against. If you want to get on the legal scholarship side of this, a kid of diplomats was born here does not qualify for birthright citizenship because there’s qualifiers in the 14th Amendment. It says you have to be subject to the laws and jurisdiction thereof.

So I’m highlighting previously unexplored questions because we’re facing a border crisis. There are tens of thousands of illegal migrants crossing the southern border every day. Even the Democrat mayor of the city that we’re in right now, New York City, claiming this will destroy New York City and cities across the country. We can’t sit by and watch passively.

I think we have to treat people with respect, with dignity, but we’re a nation founded on the rule of law. That means if you come here illegally and have kids, birthright citizenship should not extend to the kids of illegal immigrants in this country.

For what its worth, here’s what Amendment 14, Section 1 of the U.S. Constitution says:

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. No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

Watch above via Fox Business.

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