By Stephen Gruber-Miller, Des Moines Register
Republican U.S. Senate candidate Ashley Hinson says the U.S. Supreme Court “got it wrong” with its decision upholding birthright citizenship, adding that the process is being “exploited.”
The court, in a 6-3 decision, struck down an executive order President Donald Trump issued that attempted to end automatic citizenship for people born in the United States if they do not have at least one parent who is an American citizen or lawful permanent resident.
“I don’t agree with the Supreme Court here,” Hinson said on a July 1 call with reporters. “I think they got it wrong. I think the ruling means it’s even more important in my mind that we don’t go back to open borders and drugs pouring across into our communities. And then of course the other challenge that I keep hearing about here is the illegals free-riding on taxpayer benefits, all while making hard-working Iowans foot the bill for that.”
Trump criticized the Supreme Court’s decision and has said he wants Congress to pass a law to end the practice. But any law Congress passes would face the same constitutional issues as Trump’s executive orders.
“The Supreme Court upheld Birthright Citizenship, which is too bad for our Country, but we can easily make it up in Congress through Legislation, with the support of the President, that has now been determined during this process,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “No long and unwieldy Constitutional Amendment is necessary!”
Hinson, who represents northeast Iowa’s 2nd District in Congress, is a cosponsor of the Birthright Citizenship Act, which would mirror Trump’s defunct executive order by limiting birthright citizenship to people who have a parent who is a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident. The legislation would not apply retroactively to anyone born before it takes effect.
Five members of the Supreme Court’s majority ruled that birthright citizenship is protected by the U.S. Constitution’s 14th Amendment, meaning the only way to eliminate it would be to pass a constitutional amendment.
Hinson has echoed Trump’s rhetoric about birthright citizenship. After the court’s ruling on June 30, she posted from her campaign’s X account, saying, “for too long, birthright citizenship has been exploited to incentivize illegal immigration.”
Her office shared a news release from the Trump administration saying the State Department uncovered evidence of hundreds of people who attempted to get a U.S. visa to give birth in the United States. The release said, “the State Department is taking action around the world to stop this abuse, dismantle birth tourism networks, and hold accountable those who try to scam our system.”
“That, in my mind, is definite exploitation of birthright citizenship,” Hinson said.
In her social media post, Hinson criticized her Democratic Senate opponent, state Rep. Josh Turek.
“While Turek continues to push open borders and amnesty for criminal illegals, I’ll keep fighting to secure our border, enforce our laws, and put Iowans first,” she said.
Turek praised the Supreme Court’s ruling while speaking with reporters after a July 1 campaign event in Cedar Rapids.
“I was happy with the ruling,” he said. “I believe in the Constitution, and I think birthright citizenship is very clear.”
He said Hinson “is lying about my record on immigration,” pointing to his 2024 vote for a Republican-backed Iowa law that created a state crime of illegal reentry into Iowa by someone who had previously been deported or barred from entering the country.
“I’ve been really clear that we can have two things, both at the same time,” Turek said. “We need to have safe and secure borders, but we also need to have an easier pathway to citizenship, especially in a state like Iowa, where we need a healthy, robust immigration program for industries like the ag industry, beef packing plants and also for the direct care workers.”
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