In a recent Cline Watch post, I wondered why Sixth District Congressman Ben Cline – who regularly professes fealty to the Constitution and brags about carrying a copy wherever he goes – was silent about President Trump’s order declaring that children born in the United States to undocumented parents are not entitled to U.S. citizenship.
As I noted, the 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution makes it abundantly clear:
“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”
There are no exceptions. The American-born children of undocumented parents are, of course, subject to the jurisdiction of the United States and they are citizens according to the Constitution.
Now Cline has broken his silence. He posted this on his X account:
So the woman who ran this scheme was rightfully prosecuted, convicted and sentenced. But that doesn’t change the meaning of the 14th Amendment. The Constitution does not grant Trump or any other President the authority to “narrow its definition.”
If Cline and Trump think the amendment needs to be revised, all they have to do is persuade two-thirds of the members of both houses of Congress and majorities of three-fourths of the state legislatures.
If Cline doesn’t believe me, he can look it up in his copy of the Constitution.
Gene Zitver is the editor of ClineWatch.
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