Sunshine Sentinel

Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz has introduced the "End Birthright Citizenship Fraud Act of 2023," which intends to close loopholes to prevent the misapplication of birthright citizenship and restore the original intent of the 14th Amendment's intent.

"My legislation recognizes that American citizenship is a privilege –– not an automatic right to be co-opted by illegal aliens," Gaetz said in a release on his website. "This is an important step in preserving the sanctity of American citizenship and ensures that citizenship is not treated as a loophole to be exploited but rather a privilege to be earned when legally migrating to our country."

Under the proposed legislation, automatic citizenship at birth would be denied to children born in the United States whose parents are not U.S. nationals, except for aliens lawfully admitted as refugees, permanent residents, or those serving in the U.S. Armed Forces. The Amendment seeks to prevent illegal aliens from exploiting the birthright citizenship clause, Gaetz claimed.

The End Birthright Citizenship Fraud Act of 2023 is part of Gaetz's efforts in the 118th Congress to clarify the application of birthright citizenship and bring U.S. immigration laws in line with the original intent of the 14th Amendment, tackling issues such as illegal immigration, birth tourism, and the fiscal impact of providing benefits to illegal aliens and their children, the release added.

The bill's text recognized the fact that Congress has the bower to establish and hold jurisdiction over the naturalization rules, adding that the framers of the Constitution "intended to give citizenship only to those who owed their allegiance to the United States and were subject to its complete jurisdiction," the text read.

The legislation could have major implications on the way birthright citizenship is granted, and lawmakers and advocates on both sides of the issue will are likely to scrutinize the proposed amendments and their potential impact on the nation's immigration policies.