On Friday’s broadcast of HBO’s “Real Time,” Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) argued that citing people engaging in birth tourism to exploit birthright citizenship rules is just picking out “some extreme example” that isn’t worth changing the Constitution over.
Khanna said, “[W]e’re going to speak for basic American values. If you’re born in America, you’re an American, period. And when he’s going after that — all the Republican lecturing, we’re for the Constitution, we’re for the founders, until they’re not. You know what makes America exceptional? The fact that your parents can come from any country, be of any faith, not have wealth, not have fame, and if you’re born in America, you can go as far as you want. And that’s what Donald Trump is taking away.”
Host Bill Maher responded, “Come on, man. Rich Chinese people come here just — they fly over here and then they have the baby here just so they can be an American citizen. It has been bastardized. You can’t say that this is just all for the good.”
Khanna countered, “This is like the Reagan welfare queens, they pick out some extreme example, but you’re going to change the Constitution over that?”
Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett
