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Open to Debate

Should America End Birthright Citizenship?

Open to Debate

Open to Debate

Education, News, Society & Culture

4.6 • 2.2K Ratings

🗓️ 5 June 2026

⏱️ 52 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Birthright citizenship guarantees citizenship to anyone born within the United States’ territory, regardless of a parent’s nationality. But should this legal principle be removed from the Constitution? Those arguing it shouldn’t say that it prevents children from being punished for their parents’ status, while encouraging long-term economic and civic contributions. But those calling to end the practice argue it fuels illegal immigration and strains the overburdened immigration system. Now, we debate: Should America End Birthright Citizenship? This ethical conundrum is at the crux of this week's debate, originally broadcast in October 2025. Arguing Yes:   Mark Krikorian, Executive Director of the Center for Immigration Studies  Horace Cooper, Senior Fellow at the National Center for Public Policy Research; Chairman of the Project 21 National Advisory Board  Arguing No:   Kris Mayes, Arizona Attorney General  Chris Newman, Legal Director of the National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON)  Emmy award-winning journalist John Donvan moderates  Join the conversation on Substack - share your perspective on this episode and subscribe to our weekly newsletter for curated insights from our debaters, moderators, and staff.  Follow us on YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, X, Facebook, and TikTok to stay connected with our mission and ongoing debates.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:30.6

Hi everybody. This is open to debate. I'm John Dunvan, and today we are revisiting our debate on

0:36.5

this question. Should the U.S. and birthright citizenship?

0:41.1

When we recorded this debate last fall, it was still only a question, inspired by an executive

0:45.8

order that sought to deny citizenship to children of families who lack legal status to reside in the U.S.

0:51.0

The order was challenged legally, and things developed pretty quickly afterwards when the

0:55.6

Supreme Court agreed to hear the case Trump v. Barbarra, which it did in April.

1:00.5

President Trump even sat in on the oral arguments for this one.

1:03.9

Now the court is due to issue its ruling in just a matter of weeks, and depending on which

1:08.2

way it goes, it could or could not end up affecting the legal

1:11.8

status of millions of people based on their parentage. So let's listen in.

1:18.2

This is open to debate. I'm John Donvan here with the live audience at the Walter

1:21.8

Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University in Phoenix. The idea at the heart

1:26.6

of this debate, it's the concept of

1:28.4

birthright citizenship. At its most simple, this is the idea that a person born in the U.S.

1:33.3

and the practice is thereby recognized as an American citizen, regardless of who that person's

1:38.5

parents are, with only a few exceptions. It derives from an amendment to the Constitution that's

1:43.0

been in effect for 157 years. But it is being meaningfully challenged right now.

...

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