TED CRUZ DISCUSSES BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP - INCENTIVISES ADDITIONAL ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION

TED CRUZ DISCUSSES BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP - INCENTIVISES ADDITIONAL ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION Machine generated transcript expect errors. 0:00 we also sat down with texas senator Ted Cruz before an event at the Iowa Hall of 0:05 pride we began by asking about granting automatic citizenship to the children of 0:10 undocumented workers I think birthright citizenship as a policy matter doesn't 0:15 make sense we have right now 0:18 upwards of 12 million people living here illegally it doesn't make any sense that 0:22 our law automatically grant citizenship to their children because what it does 0:27 is it incentivizes additionally legal immigration but the heart of what Donald 0:33 proposed and indeed what i've introduced as we've got to get serious about 0:37 securing the borders and and if you go when you talk with law enforcement as 0:41 you know I represent Texas we've got border with Mexico when you go visit 0:46 with law enforcement when you visit with Border Patrol agents about what works 0:50 the number one most effective tool that works his boots on the ground that's why 0:54 filed legislation to triple the Border Patrol I was very glad to see that 0:58 donald Trump agrees with that proposal the legislation I filed would also 1:02 increase fourfold the fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft so we use 1:06 technology to monitor the border to to supplement the boots on the ground but 1:11 then beyond that 40% of illegal immigration doesn't come across the 1:16 border at all its visa overstays so they legislation I introduced would put in 1:20 place a strong biometric exit entry system so we can stop visa overstays and 1:26 finally we should put in place a robust e-verify system so you can't get a job 1:31 without demonstrating your cereal legally it's not that we don't know how 1:34 to solve illegal immigration what is missing is the political will to get it 1:39 done and as President I will get it done if we will secure the borders in 2011 1:44 you mention that basically there's a quote here you said the 14th amendment 1:49 provides for birthright citizenship I've looked at the legal arguments against it 1:53 I will tell you as a Supreme Court litigator those arguments are not very 1:56 good so as a legal matter it can't be touched rank well now that's that's not 2:02 true so they're two different pieces there's the policy matter in the legal 2:05 matter as a policy matter I think now and I thought then we should end 2:10 birthright citizenship in 2011 in that same conversation I publicly said we 2:14 should end birthright citizenship and I said so in writing now there's a second 2:18 question how does one do it and constitutional scholars differ in terms 2:23 of the way that it can be effectively done some constitutional scholars argue 2:27 Congress could pass a law defining what what the words and Fourteenth Amendment 2:32 subject to the jurisdiction many others argue no it couldn't be done by statute 2:37 it it must be done by constitutional amendment my view there's a good-faith 2:42 argument on both whichever one is effective but as a policy matter we 2:48 should change the law but what I also said that interview I think this is 2:51 important john is we're facing crisis with illegal immigration and law 2:56 enforcement crisis a national security crisis any change in birthright 3:01 citizenship be a statute or constitutional amendment will take many 3:04 many years so the first priority should be securing the border and we can do 3:09 that with a president unlike President Obama who will actually enforce the laws 3:13 and get the job done let me ask about religious liberty you're hosting a 3:17 gathering here and protection of religious liberty in your speech 3:20 announcing your presidency you talked about it you talk about it ever since we 3:24 know that that's will be part of your presidency what in a cruise presidents 3:27 who would same-sex marriage look like well when it comes to religious liberty 3:32 religious liberty has been a 3:33 a foundational passion of mine for decades and I have a long record of 3:38 standing in defending religious liberty and winning successfully whether it was 3:42 defending the Ten Commandments monument on the state capitol grounds winning 54 3:46 before the US Supreme Court defending the Pledge of Allegiance the words one 3:50 nation under God winning unanimously from the Supreme Court or defending the 3:55 Mojave Desert Veterans Memorial a lone white Latin cross were represented three 4:00 million veterans defending that memorial Hwy 154 in front of the US Supreme Court 4:05 this is a deep passion and you know today we're pretty taping at this rally 4:10 here in Iowa that has thousands of people in support of religious liberty 4:14 with this rally is doing is it's telling the stories of ordinary people across 4:19 the country who are here today who stood up for their faith and who were 4:24 persecuted and you know a lot of folks in the media that they belittle the 4:27 threats to religious liberty they say they're not real they're they're made up 4:30 this rally is all about putting names and faces and people to the persecution 4:36 for example one couple is here as I was own dick in videos they're wonderful 4:42 couple they own and historic Lutheran Church for many years the old guards 4:47 posted weddings in their church a couple of years ago two men came to them and 4:52 wanted to have a same-sex wedding in their church and the old guard your 4:56 development ignites a very politely very respectfully said let that hosting a 5:01 homosexual wedding ceremony in their church was contrary to their faith they 5:05 couldn't do it they were sued they went through protracted litigation they pay 5:10 $5,000 to settle the case and they promised never again to host another 5:15 wedding that gone out of business they've laid off all their employees why 5:19 simply because they stood up for their face and religious beliefs we're a 5:24 nation that was founded on religious liberty and the liberal intolerance we 5:28 see trying to persecute those who as a matter of faith follow a biblical 5:34 definition of marriage is fundamentally wrong 5:37 right-center cruise thanks so much thank you john