Criminalizing parents who come to the United States solely to give birth could be one way to respond to the Supreme Court's birthright citizenship ruling, Rep. Randy Fine, R-Fla., told Newsmax on Wednesday.
Appearing on Newsmax's "Wake Up America Early," Fine argued Congress should explore legislative options after the high court left in place legal protections for birthright citizenship, saying the decision could encourage illegal immigration.
"When the 14th Amendment was written, it explicitly wasn't for people here illegally," Fine said. "This is a recreation that the framers of that amendment never intended."
Fine contended that illegal immigrants who remain in the United States and have children create a situation in which those children receive U.S. citizenship, while family members later seek to remain in the country through those ties.
"We have to take action because if we don't, the Supreme Court is facilitating the invasion of this country by foreign nations," Fine said.
The Florida congressman said lawmakers may need to pursue tougher immigration policies in light of the ruling, including reducing legal immigration if what he described as abuses cannot be prevented.
He also said he is considering legislation that would make it a crime for parents to travel to the U.S. specifically to give birth.
"One of the things I'm exploring right now is criminalizing parents who come here in order to have that baby," Fine said. "That baby may be an American, but those parents very well committed a crime."
Fine added that parents who violate immigration laws demonstrate a lack of respect for the United States.
"We do know one thing about those parents," he said. "They don't respect this country because they didn't follow our laws to have that child."
The Supreme Court's ruling Tuesday primarily addressed nationwide injunctions issued by lower courts in challenges to President Donald Trump's executive order on birthright citizenship.
While the decision limited the scope of those injunctions, it did not resolve the broader constitutional question of whether children born in the United States to illegal immigrants are automatically citizens under the 14th Amendment.
That issue is expected to continue moving through the federal courts.
Fine also discussed House Republicans' unsuccessful effort to attach the SAVE America Act to the National Defense Authorization Act.
He said his procedural vote reflected frustration with Republicans not working together to advance Trump's agenda, but expressed confidence the conference would soon reunite behind the president's priorities.
Turning to Democrat politics, Fine said recent victories by self-described democratic socialists in New York City and Colorado reflect a broader shift within the Democratic Party.
"I think we have seen the radicalization of the Democratic Party," Fine said. "It may be good for Republicans, but it is terrible for America."
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