Republican U.S. Senator Markwayne Mullin stated his belief on Sunday that infants born in the United States to undocumented immigrants should be deported alongside their parents if the adults are also removed. Mullin made these remarks during an interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press” in light of a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision that could soon allow President Donald Trump’s executive order restricting birthright citizenship to take effect in certain states. The court ruling did not address the legality of Trump’s order, which challenges the long-standing tradition of granting U.S. citizenship to all individuals born in the country, regardless of their parents’ immigration status. When asked by NBC’s Kristen Welker about the fate of babies born in the U.S. whose parents are deported, Mullin, from Oklahoma, responded, “Well, they should go where their parents are. Why wouldn’t you send a child with their parents? I mean, why would you want to separate them?” The court’s decision on Friday created uncertainty among immigrants and advocates, who are now trying to navigate the potential implications of birthright citizenship applying differently across states.
