Rand Paul: U.S. Should Stop Granting Citizenship to Children of Illegal Immigrants

Kentucky Republican Senate candidate Rand Paul recently shared with a Russian television station his belief that the United States should end its policy of guaranteeing citizenship to the children of illegal immigrants.

“We shouldn’t provide an easy route to citizenship,” Paul explained. “We’re the only country that I know that allows people to come in illegally, have a baby, and then that baby becomes a citizen. And I think that should stop.”

In the interview Paul also suggested what steps he thinks lawmakers should take to address illegal immigration–one of his ideas being constructing an “underground electrical fence” along the boarder. The Senate hopeful even mentions the solution on his campaign website in defining his stance on the issue:

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Also on his campaign website, Paul supports his position on illegal immigration by citing the protections outlined in the 10th amendment of the U.S. Constitution–a frequent point of reference for the self-described “constitutional conservative.”

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Paul doesn’t mention however, the 14th amendment of the Constitution, which guarantees U.S. citizenship to all persons born in the country.

On Friday morning, Paul campaign chairman David Adams clarified that the Kentucky candidate stands behind his remarks “because illegal immigration is a real problem in this country.”