Staff Reports
The Supreme Court recently blocked President Trump’s bid to strip automatic U.S. citizenship from most children born here to parents without legal status. That ruling handed the ball back to Congress — and Ohio Senator Bernie Moreno wasted no time. Moreno said he will reintroduce the exact 1993 bill once pushed by then-Senator Harry Reid to end birthright citizenship for children of illegal aliens. Translation: Republicans now have a clear, familiar road map and a choice — act or keep watching the problem get worse.
Moreno revives Harry Reid’s 1993 plan
Senator Bernie Moreno announced he will run the same language that Harry Reid offered in the “Immigration Stabilization Act of 1993.” That old bill would have made clear that automatic citizenship belongs to the children of U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents — not to babies born here because their parents sneaked in or bought a plane ticket for “birth tourism.” If you’re wondering why a Democrat like Reid once backed this idea, welcome to political memory loss: parties change, and so do their priorities.
Legal roadblocks aren’t fantasy — they’re real
Let’s be honest: a law that tries to rewrite the practical outcome of the 14th Amendment will probably face a legal fight. The Supreme Court’s recent decision reaffirmed the broad reach of the Citizenship Clause and said an executive order can’t do what the Constitution appears to give. Congress can pass a statute, but courts will decide if that statute can override the plain text of the 14th Amendment. That means Republicans should expect lawsuits and plan their strategy accordingly — statute, amendment, or clever legislative drafting that survives a court challenge.
The politics: Democrats will flip-flop, Republicans must push
Expect drama. Senate Democrats who once nodded at Reid’s words are suddenly allergic to the same logic if a Republican uses it. That’s politics, not principle. Moreno’s move forces that hypocrisy into daylight and gives Republicans an opening to make the case to voters: reward for breaking the law is not a sound immigration policy. Passing anything major will be tough, but the alternative — doing nothing while bad actors exploit loopholes — is worse. Republicans should use this fight to couple a citizenship fix with border security and enforcement so it’s not just a headline but real policy change.
Senator Moreno’s plan is smart politics and a clear response to a predictable legal stalemate. It’s not a magic wand, and it won’t survive every court challenge, but it puts Congress where the Constitution demands it be — in charge of laws on citizenship. If conservatives want a fix, they have to do the hard work: legislate, litigate when needed, and win the argument with the public. Moreno just handed them a blueprint. Now let’s see who’s actually willing to build it.
