Dear Congressman Fitzpatrick,
My name is Ricardo Lezama, and I am an independent voter in Lower Makefield Township. I am also a Pennsylvania taxpayer, a U.S. taxpayer, and an engaged voter.
As you are already aware, President Trump has issued an executive order of dubious constitutionality (and morality) regarding birthright citizenship. This ahistorical order disregards existing case law, which I am certain you are familiar with but will reference here for context and convenience. Specifically, United States v. Wong Kim Ark (1898) led the Supreme Court—the highest representative of the independent judicial branch—to strike down the U.S. government’s opposition to Wong Kim Ark’s reentry. The Court held that the 14th Amendment grants citizenship to all individuals born on U.S. soil, regardless of their parents’ nationality.
I would like to know how you, as a legislator in an independent branch of government, intend to uphold current laws and prevent such a unilateral circumvention of the U.S. Constitution. Will you openly oppose this executive order to uphold the dignity and rights of all U.S.-born children of immigrants?
Additionally, I must emphasize that this attempt to redefine citizenship is racially motivated. Passive acquiescence to this measure will be remembered as such when this moment in history is analyzed. Recall that Donald Trump has openly lamented the supposed decline of racial purity in the U.S., surrounded himself with individuals who continuously decry falling birthrates among European Americans, and advocated for the needless criminalization of recent immigrant Americans. I hope to appeal to your moral judgment on this issue and to the fundamental necessity of maintaining the independence of our branches of government.
Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Ricardo Lezama