1. United States
2. Texas
3. Letter

I am writing to urge you to strongly oppose any legislation attempting to abolish birthright citizenship. This is not a debate about immigration policy. It is a debate about whether we will continue to honor the Constitution and the laws based upon it when it is politically inconvenient. The Fourteenth Amendment is clear: those born in the United States and subject to its jurisdiction are United States citizens. Congress cannot erase a constitutional guarantee by simply passing a law. If legislators can pick and choose which parts of the Constitution they will follow, every constitutional right is at risk. The current proposal creates a dangerous precedent. If the Fourteenth Amendment can be ignored today, what stops a future Congress from deciding the Second Amendment has outlived its usefulness? Or that the First Amendment is invalid for unpopular speech? The Constitution is not a suggestion. It is the foundation of our republic and our rule of law. If someone believes birthright citizenship should be eliminated, the Constitution already provides the proper path: propose and ratify the Fourteenth Amendment. Anything less is an attempt to weaken the rule of law. You, as a member of Congress, swore and oath to defend the Constitution in its entirety, not only the parts that align with today’s political priorities. The strength of our republic depends on elected officials who are willing to uphold constitutional principles even when doing so is politically difficult. My wife and I urge you to reject any effort to undermine the Fourteenth Amendment and to publicly oppose any legislation attempting to abolish birthright citizenship through ordinary statute.