A prominent government oversight organization has introduced a comprehensive strategy aimed at safeguarding national integrity and U.S. citizenship, following the Supreme Court's 6-3 affirmation of birthright citizenship as mandated by federal statute.
The ruling drew criticism from conservatives nationwide, who argued that Chief Justice John Roberts, Associate Justices Amy Coney Barrett and Brett Kavanaugh, alongside the court’s three liberal justices, had paved the way for children born to foreign nationals residing unlawfully in the U.S. to gain citizenship, thereby diminishing American citizenship.
A Call for Enhanced Enforcement
Mike Howell, an attorney and president of the Oversight Project, characterized the outcome as the "illegal alien community" achieving "weapons of mass reproduction." He stated, "Now that the illegal alien community has achieved weapons of mass reproduction… you need to turn off that multiplying effect. And if the goal of mass deportation is quantitative, which of course it is, you need go [to] places where legal immigration spreads the most or is concentrated the most."
Howell further explained his advocacy for worksite enforcement, suggesting that farms and factories require stronger measures rather than focusing on smaller-scale efforts in "sanctuary cities." He emphasized that an escalation in deportations, particularly of parents who might have so-called "anchor babies," is crucial now that unrestricted naturalization appears to be a possibility.
"Go to ‘red’ places and deport."
He elaborated that deporting parents of these children would, in most scenarios, lead to the child's deportation with the parent. If not, the parent would bear the "moral onus" of abandoning the child. Howell asserted that if one genuinely believes birthright citizenship is misapplied, then preventative measures are necessary. He suggested that part of a plan to maintain family unity would involve creating obstacles for pregnant foreign nationals seeking to give birth in the U.S., proposing that positioning Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents at specific hospitals could help achieve this.
Combating "Birth Tourism" and Foreign Influence
Addressing the issue of "birth tourism," where organizations facilitate travel for foreign nationals to the U.S. specifically for the purpose of having U.S.-citizen children, Howell identified China as the primary source of this practice, as well as other economic threats. When questioned about balancing this with the U.S.'s economic ties to Beijing, Howell responded that the recent ruling indicates a need for a "hardball" approach.
He criticized former President Donald Trump's decision to permit thousands of Chinese students to continue their studies in America, which Howell contended would "prop up our failing university system."
The elite regions of [China's] upper class love access to the U.S. financial system and coming here and taking advantage of it. And so if you're negotiating and it's the art of the deal… take away the thing they want.
Howell also alleged that one Chinese billionaire has been "shipping his sperm" to California for insemination, leading to the birth of children with U.S. citizenship. He questioned, "What kind of serious country allows [that]?" Reports from various news outlets, including Fortune, have documented wealthy Chinese business figures arranging repeated surrogacy agreements with American women.
Push for Mass Deportation and Administration's Stance
Despite discussions of Trump's "mass deportation" agenda, Howell stated that the actual numbers have not yet aligned with the rhetoric. "The fact remains there isn't a mass deportation campaign underway. And that's why we've been pushing this Mass Deportation Coalition, which has so many members across the country and a policy framework for them to do it," he explained. He acknowledged that Trump's efforts have been hampered by "special interests" unwilling to lose their workforces, and by setbacks such as public backlash over agent-involved shootings in Minneapolis, which led to "cold feet."
Responding to inquiries about the Oversight Project's plan and Howell's remarks, the White House affirmed Trump's "total commitment" to protecting the "value of natural-born citizenship."
[That] is why, following yesterday’s ruling, he directed Congress to take immediate action to address this. Simultaneously, the administration will double down on our efforts to keep the border secure and deport illegal aliens.
Spokesperson Abigail Jackson added that the Department of Justice (DOJ) would prioritize schemes related to birth tourism, some of which Howell outlined.
Legislative Strategies and Political Will
Howell's plan also subtly criticized Chief Justice Roberts, who, despite being appointed by a Republican president, frequently acts as a swing vote favoring the court's liberal minority, as he did in the recent ruling. Roberts famously angered Republicans in 2012 by upholding Obamacare's constitutionality, defining its no-insurance penalty as a "tax" while simultaneously ruling that Congress lacked the authority to compel Americans to purchase insurance.
The question is not whether that is the most natural interpretation of the mandate, but only whether it is a ‘fairly possible’ one.
Roberts wrote this in the NFIB v. Sebelius decision. Howell suggested that lawmakers could therefore utilize congressional reconciliation to establish a mechanism for penalizing birth tourists, but define the penalty as a "tax." "Much like the Obamacare plan being upheld as a tax by the Supreme Court, this would survive constitutional scrutiny," stated the Oversight Project’s plan.
The plan further recommends that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) suspend all visas for countries, such as China, that are involved in birth tourism. Howell stressed the importance of disregarding criticism from the left and other detractors, urging perseverance through the end of the congressional term with achievable objectives, regardless of how controversial they might be perceived.
We took a hit today, a big hit, but the damage can be mitigated and the overall problem can be solved with a lot of political backbone and using the money from the Big, Beautiful Bill quickly and without fear of what the left-wing media might say about it.
"Reconciliation is a beautiful vehicle to achieve those kind of cost-cutting measures. Obamacare was a tax. The rule is a tax, so why can't we use a tax here? I'm sure the legal pundits will have much to say about that one," Howell remarked. He continued, "But by any hook, nook, or cranny, we need to fight this policy," anticipating that mainstream media and some moderate voices would condemn the plan's social consequences.
If the administration's going to take to the airwaves and say this is like a disgraceful ruling that undermines our sovereignty, then they need to act. The suburban moms will be angry. They will say all that kind of stuff. But I want them to follow through because there's 77 million Americans who sent Trump back to the White House after everything we went through.
In the interim, Representative Andy Ogles IV (R-Tenn.) and Senators Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) and Rand Paul (R-Ky.) have introduced proposals for constitutional amendments to overturn the court's decision, although observers generally consider these efforts to be currently politically unfeasible. A White House spokesperson stated, "In President Trump’s first year back in office, more than 3 million illegal aliens have left the U.S. because of the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration, including an estimated 2.2 million self-deportations. As of June 24, we have now deported over 948,000 illegal aliens and arrested over 981,000 illegal aliens." The spokesperson added that since the beginning of Trump's administration, DHS has been fulfilling its pledge to "Make America Safe Again," with over 3 million deportations completed.
"Our message is clear: if you come to our country illegally, we will find you, we will arrest you, and we will deport you."
