Media

CBS News Drops Clause Of 14th Amendment That Could Support Trump’s Birthright Claims

Getty Images

Amber Athey Podcast Columnist
Font Size:

CBS News published an article on Wednesday that excluded the exact clause of the 14th Amendment that President Donald Trump cites to support his plan to end birthright citizenship.

Trump revealed in an interview with Axios this week that he wants to issue an executive order ending birthright citizenship, the policy that anyone born on American soil, including children of foreign nationals, automatically becomes a citizen. (RELATED: Birthright Citizenship: What You Need To Know)

The 14th Amendment to the Constitution states, “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.”

Critics of Trump’s plan point to the first clause of the 14th Amendment as proof that ending birthright citizenship would be unconstitutional, but Trump tweeted on Wednesday that the clause “subject to the jurisdiction thereof” gives him authority to do so.

While explaining the controversy, CBS News quoted the 14th Amendment but left out the clause that Trump cited to support his plan.

“The 14th Amendment, passed after the Civil War, specifically says that ‘all persons born or naturalized in the United States are citizens.’ The Supreme Court has upheld this rule for legal permanent residents, but has never decided a citizenship case involving an illegal immigrant or a short-term visitor to the U.S,” the CBS article said.

CBS News Birthright Citizenship Excerpt (Screenshot: October 31, 2018)

CBS News Birthright Citizenship Excerpt (Screenshot: October 31, 2018)

The full text of the 14th Amendment does not exist elsewhere in the article, either.

CBS did not respond to a request for comment about the exclusion of the relevant clause.

Follow Amber on Twitter