Bill O'Reilly confronts Donald Trump: You can't 'deport people who have American citizenship'

Business Insider ^ | 08/19/2015 | Colin Campbell

[SeekAndFind]

Fox News host Bill O'Reilly during an interview Tuesday night repeatedly challenged a key portion of Donald Trump's immigration agenda.

The real-estate magnate and Republican presidential candidate recently unveiled his multipart plan to clamp down on illegal immigration. Among other things, Trump called for ending birthright citizenship, or the right of anyone born in the US to American citizenship.

As O'Reilly pointed out, however, the US Constitution's 14th Amendment enshrines birthright citizenship into US law.

"That's not going to happen because the 14th Amendment says if you're born here, you're an American," O'Reilly said. "And you can't kick Americans out. The courts would block you at every turn. You must know all that."

Trump insisted that the Constitution did not grant citizenship to so-called anchor babies, a pejorative term used to describe the children of people who enter the country illegally with the purpose of having a son or daughter who would then be granted US citizenship.

"Bill, I think you're wrong about the 14th Amendment," Trump said. "And frankly, the whole thing with 'anchor babies' and the concept of 'anchor babies' — I don't think you're right about that."

O'Reilly was incredulous.

"I can quote it!" O'Reilly exclaimed. "You want me to quote you the amendment? If you're born here, you're an American — period! Period!"

[DiogenesLamp]

Agreed! Let us resolve, then, in true friendship to our potential allies, to wake them up. The “Amendment” is close to being the root of most 20th Century domestic evil—including the suppression of religious expressions, abortion, Federal meddling in all sorts of things, etc..

I have got to share your comment with a few others with whom I have been discussing this very topic. They seem oblivious to the destruction to our society which has been a consequence of the badly written and over reaching 14th amendment.

[DoodleDawg]

They seem oblivious to the destruction to our society which has been a consequence of the badly written and over reaching 14th amendment.

I don't think that we're oblivious to the misuse of the 14th Amendment. We're just oblivious to you.

[Taipei]

I don’t think that’s how it works, but I’m in no way a lawyer or legal scholar.

That’s what’s confusing to me about this. Perhaps the phrase had a clear and specific meaning when the amendment was written, which should take precedence in a SCOTUS case?

I just ... when I read the amendment, I have a really tough time understanding how it can be read any other way than birthright citizenship for everyone.

[Sir Gawain]

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