Attorney General Alan Wilson issues statement on Supreme Court decision to uphold birthright citizenship

(COLUMBIA, S.C.) –South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson made the following statement regarding the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to uphold birthright citizenship.

“Today, the Supreme Court struck down President Trump’s executive order providing that children born to parents unlawfully or temporarily present in the United States are not citizens of the United States. While we are disappointed in the Court’s decision, we respect the process and will comply with the decision."

"For 150 years, the 14th Amendment has been misapplied, granting birthright citizenship to those never intended by the drafters. This amendment was rightfully designed to bestow citizenship on emancipated slaves, but since then, it has been misinterpreted to incentivize the ridiculous notion that someone can come to the United States in the dead of night, drop a child like an anchor, and suddenly that child is granted citizenship forever.​ As Attorney General, I will continue to fight alongside President Trump to secure our borders and defend our values.”

Attorney General Alan Wilson has joined multiple multistate amicus briefs throughout the legal process defending President Trump's executive order on birthright citizenship. The briefs emphasized that the intention of the drafters of the Constitution was not to grant automatic citizenship to individuals born to non-citizen parents.

You can read the opinion here.