The Senate has seen this bill before — and last time it let the Secure the Border Act die without a vote. It cannot afford a repeat. Since the June 30 decision, the birthright reward the Court declined to limit attaches to every illegal entry and overstay, and an executive order cannot durably close it off, because the next president could reverse those actions on day one. When H.R. 2, the Secure the Border Act, clears the House, the Senate should take it up at once and pass it.

As Justice Alito noted in dissent, the ruling saddles the country with what he called “a medieval rule” — automatic citizenship by birth alone. That rule was tolerable when reaching America took weeks and only a few hundred thousand visitors arrived each year; it is unsustainable now that roughly 70 million people arrive annually, most in a matter of hours. The durable response is enforcement written into law: an end to catch-and-release, closed asylum and parole loopholes, and mandatory E-Verify to slow the entries and overstays that turn the reward into a permanent anchor. The House will act before July 4. The Senate should be ready to send it straight to the President’s desk.

Greg Raven, Apple Valley, CA

Sent to:
Alex Padilla, Adam Schiff