Trump birthright citizenship push poses headaches for divided GOP

President Trump’s push to pass a new law to restrict birthright citizenship is creating new headaches for Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) and Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), who must navigate GOP divisions over the issue.

Trump last week declared that the Supreme Court’s decision knocking down his executive efforts to limit birthright citizenship could “easily” be addressed by Congress through legislation, but GOP lawmakers and immigration experts are warning that passing legislation would be anything but easy.

Trump’s allies are stepping up long-shot efforts to amend the Constitution to deny birthright citizenship to the children of foreign tourists and visitors, but Johnson said over the weekend that Republican leaders are looking at other angles, as well.

Advocates for limiting birthright citizenship acknowledge that legislation is unlikely to make it to Trump’s desk, setting up a conflict between the president and wavering GOP lawmakers over how hard to push the issue in the months before Election Day.

“I don’t think anything’s going to actually reach the president’s desk,” said Mark Krikorian, the executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies, a nonpartisan research group that favors lower levels of immigration.

But he predicted that GOP leaders will push for it in response to Trump’s call for action to highlight differences between Republicans and Democrats before the midterm elections.

“The bills are not intended to actually pass – although obviously the supporters would be delighted with that. They are likely to be used more as political messaging,” Krikorian said. “The legislative activity is necessary to specify what it is you’re for but everyone understanding it’s highly unlikely to pass.”

Republican divisions over how to handle the issue of birthright citizenship and how hard to push for a bill that has little chance of passing parallels another divide in the GOP that has been a problem for leadership: Trump’s demands for the SAVE America Act.

Some GOP senators have fumed over relentless efforts by Trump allies such as Sens. Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Rick Scott (R-Fla.) to insist on repeated votes on the election reform bill, even though it is well short of having enough support to pass.

Chris Chmielenski, president of the Immigration Accountability........

© The Hill