After radical H-1B stance, Ramaswamy now says he wants to end birthright citizenship in US

NEW DELHI: Days after saying that he would end H-1B visas if he becomes US President, Vivek Ramaswamy has now said that he favours abolishing birthright citizenship for children of illegal immigrants.
When questioned about the legal basis for the removal of undocumented immigrants and their American-born children from the country, Ramaswamy, who is himself the child of Indian immigrants, revisited a 2015 suggestion to terminate birthright citizenship, originally proposed by then-candidate Donald Trump.

Ramaswamy said this during the second Republican debate of the 2024 election cycle where he shared the stage with six other candidates, including Nikki Haley.

According to the first section of the citizenship clause of the US Constitution’s 14th Amendment: “All persons born or naturalised in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.”
While many support the longstanding tradition of granting citizenship to those born on US soil, the report noted that some legal scholars contend that the phrase “and subject to the jurisdiction thereof” provides the government with a degree of flexibility to potentially limit this right.
As a result of this interpretation, Ramaswamy asserted that children born in the United States to undocumented immigrants should not receive citizenship, citing their parents’ violation of immigration laws as the basis for this argument.
During the debate, the Indian-American also supported his opponents onstage and acknowledged other measures such as militarization of the southern border, defunding “sanctuary cities,” and an end to foreign aid to Mexico and Central America.
In another controversial statement, Ramaswamy said that “transgenderism is a mental health disorder”.
“We have to acknowledge the truth of that for what it is. It is not compassionate to affirm a kid’s confusion. That is not compassion. That is cruelty,” he said.
Ramaswamy, who was addressed as “Trump’s heir apparent” by Time Magazine has garnered quite an attention after his maiden Republican presidential primary debate held on August 23.
The first poll after the debate said that 28 per cent of the 504 respondents said that Ramaswamy performed the best.
Ramaswamy’s harsh proposals have helped him stand out in the crowded primary field, according to US media reports.
(With inputs from PTI)