IAP Hosts Birthright Citizenship Summit in D.C.

On Tuesday, the Immigration Accountability Project partnered with the Conservative Partnership Institute to host a full-day summit on birthright citizenship—Beyond Barbara: Citizenship, Sovereignty & Nationhood. The event brought together constitutional law scholars to dissect the Supreme Court's recent decision on President Trump's birthright citizenship executive order and discuss future steps.

We were honored to host long-time birthright citizenship scholar Dr. John Eastman, Federal Circuit Judge Paul B. Matey, Solicitor General of Iowa Eric Wesson, Chief Deputy Attorney General of Florida Ryan Newman, President of America First Legal Gene Hamilton, and more to discuss where the Court went wrong in its ruling, what comes next, and legislative solutions. 

Some of the solutions discussed included:

• Clearly defining the term “subject to the jurisdiction” to exclude children born to illegal aliens and temporary visitors for purposes of granting automatic citizenship;
• Criminalizing birth tourism; and
• Ending chain migration to prevent citizen children from sponsoring their illegal-alien family members for green cards.

We also presented Dr. Eastman with the "Vanguard of Sovereignty" award for his decades of work on birthright citizenship.

Read more about the event in The Federalist, and check out panelist and law professor Jeremy Christiansen’s reflections at The New Digest.

Spain Pays the Price for Amnesty Declaration

Back in April, Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez approved a plan to grant amnesty to approximately 500,000 illegal aliens living in the country. By the end of the application period, 1.2 million illegal aliens had applied for amnesty. This week, the country saw firsthand the consequences of that decision.

More than 50,000 Africans surged across the border into Ceuta—a Spanish city bordering Morocco on the northern coast of Africa. At least 34 people were killed during the chaos.

Just as has happened in the United States on multiple occasions, this coordinated border surge was a direct result of Spain's amnesty policy, which enticed thousands to cross illegally in hopes of gaining access to both Spain and the European Union.

In 2015, the U.S. experienced a massive border surge after President Obama granted executive amnesty to illegal aliens claiming to have entered before the age of 19, as well as illegal-alien parents of citizen children. Similarly, the Biden border crisis resulted from Pres. Biden dismantling immigration enforcement and publicly advocating for a mass amnesty.

Unfortunately, nearly 50 House Republicans have ignored the lessons of history, as well as what is happening in Spain today, and signed onto Rep. Glenn Thompson's (R-PA) H.R. 9535, which would grant amnesty to millions of illegal aliens claiming to be farm workers and their employers.

Pres. Trump cited the Spanish border surge to warn voters about what could happen if Democrats take control of Congress next year. This should serve as a stark reminder to all officials in the Trump Administration about the real-world consequences of relaxed enforcement and talk of amnesty.

Rep. McCormick Climbs in Congressional Immigration Rankings

Rep. Rich McCormick (R-GA) climbed 31 spots to rank No. 127 in the House this week after cosponsoring the Nuclear Family Priority Act (H.R. 2705), which would end chain migration. IAP Action supports the bill and has designated it as Key Legislation.

Meanwhile, Rep. Marlin Stutzman (R-IN) dropped 17 spots after cosponsoring Rep. Thompson's amnesty bill (H.R. 9535, the Securing Agriculture's Workforce Act). As noted above, the bill grants amnesty to illegal aliens who claim to be farm workers and the employers that hire them. IAP Action opposes the bill and has designated it as Key Legislation.

In the Senate, Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) moved up two spots into the top five after cosponsoring three bills, including one designated as Key Legislation. He cosponsored the End H-1B Visa Abuse Act (S. 5097)—which reduces the cap on H-1B visas and ends the Optional Practical Training program—as well as two birthright citizenship measures: the Ban Birth Tourism Act (S. 5023) and the Citizenship Act (S. 4954).

View the full Congressional Immigration Rankings at IAPAction.com.

Immigration Articles

Forbes: Trump Weighs $100,000 Fee For International Graduates To Work In The U.S.

Instead of ending Optional Practical Training (OPT), the nation's largest guest worker program and one never authorized by Congress, the Trump Administration is considering a $100,000 fee for international graduates seeking to work in the United States.

The Daily Wire: Appeals Court Blow to Trump Sets Up Supreme Court Fight Over Immigrant Detentions

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against the Trump Administration's policy of detaining illegal immigrants inside the United States without bond hearings, creating a circuit split that sets up a likely review by the Supreme Court.

Center for Immigration Studies: The Ceuta Migrant Surge, and the Important SCOTUS Decision Everybody Missed

Our friend Art Arthur at the Center for Immigration Studies argues that the recent mass influx of migrants into the Spanish exclave of Ceuta demonstrates how amnesty programs act as a pull factor for illegal aliens. The crisis serves as a cautionary tale that underscores the importance of a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision allowing authorities to physically secure the border against unlawful entry.

Next Week

The House remains out for August recess. The Senate will be in next week and focused primarily on passing judicial and executive branch nominations, as well as government funding. A growing list of senators is demanding the body remain in session to pass the SAVE America Act before they recess.