SC joins states supporting Trump’s birthright citizenship Executive Order

(WPDE) — South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson joined 18 other states in filing a friend-of-the-court brief in the U.S. Court of Appeals supporting President Trump’s Executive Order on birthright citizenship.

Trump’s order seeks to deny citizenship to any child born after Feb. 19 whose parents are not in the United States legally. It would also prevent agencies from issuing documents or accepting state documents recognizing citizenship for them.

“For decades, open-border policies have placed enormous burdens on states, forcing taxpayers to fund services for individuals who are here illegally,” said Attorney General Wilson. ” For too long, politicians have been too scared to address the abuse of birthright citizenship, but this Executive Order finally brings much-needed clarity and enforcement to the issue.”

“The brief affirms that President Trump’s Executive Order, Protecting the Meaning and Value of American Citizenship, is constitutional and necessary to curb the incentives currently driving illegal immigration and birth tourism,” according to Wilson’s release.

The states joining South Carolina in the brief are Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming.

Twenty-two Democratic-led states and other organizations have challenged the order, arguing it is unconstitutional and would cause irreparable harms.

You can read the full brief here.