Video: Kaine Speaks on Senate Floor for Second Time on Importance of Birthright Citizenship

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA), a former civil rights lawyer and constitutional law professor, delivered the second in his series of speeches on the Senate floor to express his strong support for birthright citizenship guaranteed by the Fourteenth Amendment and his opposition to President-elect Trump’s plan to end birthright citizenship in the United States on the first day of his term.

“I believe the constitutional basis for birthright citizenship is clear, and those challenging the notion are mounting an argument with no legal basis. But today, I want to move beyond the legal history and talk about the good that birthright citizenship brings to our nation,” said Kaine. “Children born in America to immigrant parents from all corners of the world and from all social conditions have been an enormous benefit to our country and indeed to my Commonwealth of Virginia.”

In his floor speech, Kaine discussed the many ways the United States has benefited from immigration and birthright citizenship.

“Immigration is a plus for the American economy. Immigrant households generated more than $236 billion in income in 2022 and paid nearly $66 billion in local, state, and federal taxes. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that immigration flows to the United States that are projected would likely increase American gross domestic product by nearly $9 trillion between now and 2034.” Kaine continued.

Kaine then highlighted notable Americans born to immigrant parents whose contributions have made an impact on American culture, government, and commerce, including Vice President Kamala Harris, U.S. Senator Marco Rubio, former Secretary of State Colin Powell, baseball player Alex Rodriguez, martial arts actor Bruce Lee, entrepreneur Eddie Bauer, and more.

“All of these Americans were born here to immigrant parents—some of whose immigration status was unclear at the time of their birth, and some of whose parents were clearly undocumented,” said Kaine. “And that’s the point of birthright citizenship. When America is at its best, the status of our parents doesn’t limit our ability to contribute to our community—and that’s part of the genius of our nation.”

“…The U.S. in the Fourteenth Amendment decided to embrace a definitely New World concept: that if you’re born in this country, you’re a U.S. citizen. It doesn’t matter who your parents are. You have the same opportunities and responsibilities as anyone born in this country,” Kaine concluded. “…I could tell thousands of stories like the ones that I’ve shared, and I plan to speak more on this topic in the months to come because I’m going to vigorously defend the constitutional principle of American birthright citizenship against any who would try to dilute it or tear it down.”

Kaine’s speech today follows his floor speech on December 11, in which he reviewed the history of birthright citizenship in the United States and expressed his support for the provision. The President-elect proposed revoking birthright citizenship during his first term in office, which Kaine denounced.

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