No matter how you personally feel about it, President Trump's suggestion of an executive order to exclude citizenship to children born in the U.S. of illegal immigrants is hogwash. The 14th Amendment to the Constitution is unambiguous, stating: "All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States..." It says nothing about the legality of the persons' parents.

The president is sworn to uphold the Constitution, not change it. There is no authority in the Executive Branch to change the Constitution. All changes (amendments) are covered in Article V of the Constitution itself, and they are the responsibility of Congress and the 50 States. An attempted Executive Order to bypass an Amendment (be it First, Second or Fourteenth) would immediately launch a barrage of lawsuits.

Peter Landolt

Groton