Video: Sen. Tim Kaine Vows to “vigorously defend the constitutional principle of birthright citizenship against any who try to dilute it or tear it down.”

See below for video and highlights from Sen. Tim Kaine’s speech earlier today on “birthright citizenship.” The bottom line, as Sen. Kaine explains:

“Trump’s plans to end birthright citizenship—a right enshrined in our Constitution—would hurt America. I’m on the Senate floor to highlight some of the notable Americans born to immigrant parents whose contributions have made an impact on our culture, government, and commerce.”

• Birthright citizenship was “a legal guarantee designed to erase the horrible legacy of slavery that had been embodied in the Dred Scott v Sanford decision.”
• Trump’s claim that the U.S. is “unique in the world in guaranteeing citizenship to all who are born in this country” is false (the US led the way, but there’s been a “global movement that many other countries have decided to embrace”).
• “I believe the constitutional basis for birthright citizenship is clear, and those challenging the notion are mounting an argument with no legal basis.”
• Birthright citizenship brings a great deal of good to America – “more than 47 million people living in the United States were born in another country, and another 16 million American children were born here to immigrant parents; currently,  more than 25% of all American children live in a household where at least one of their parents is an immigrant.”
• The statistics on crime are “compelling and longstanding” that “crime has DECREASED as immigration has increased.” In fact, the crime rate has fallen by 60% as the portion of our population that is immigrant has DOUBLED. Also, immigrants have ALWAYS been incarcerated at lower rates than native-born Americans. And a study on crimes in Texas found that “undocumented immigrants are arrested at less than half of the rate of native-born U.S. citizens for violent crimes and drug crimes, and at less than a quarter of the rate of native-born citizens for property crimes.”
• “Immigration is a plus for the U.S. economy…[CBO] estimates that immigration flows to the United States that are projected would likely increase American [GDP] by nearly $9 trillion between now and 2034.” “More than 45% of Fortune 500 companies in America were started by immigrants or by the children of immigrants.”
• “Throughout our history, immigrants have tremendously benefited this nation, and that is not something that is suddenly turning from a positive to a negative.”
• In Virginia, as the percent of immigrants has gone from 1% in 1958 to 1 out of 8 today “has coincided…with Virginia moving from bottom quarter per capita in income among American states to top quarter, and that movement has been signfiicantly advanced by talented people from around the world deciding that they wanted to make Virginia their home.”
• “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. I believe birthright citizenship…has really been a blessing to our country.”
• “So many of our ancestors wanted to come to the United States because they would not be locked into a social status based upon their parents’ social status.”
• Birthright citizenship is “a definitively New World concept” – “if you’re born in this country, you’re a U.S. citizen, doesn’t matter who your parents are, you have the same opportunities and responsibilites as anyone born in this country – it’s part of the genius of this country.”
• “I’m going to vigorously defend the constitutional principle of birthright citizenship against any who try to dilute it or tear it down.”