Birthright, Immigration Debate Centers on Tragedy in Sanctuary States

Following a series of recent Supreme Court rulings, immigration debates have intensified on Capitol Hill, with Republican lawmakers pushing stricter policies for sanctuary states that limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities.

Earlier this week, the House Judiciary Committee heard from parents of Sheridan Gorman and Katie Abraham, two young women killed in crimes involving people in the U.S. unlawfully. Lawmakers also referenced Jocelyn Nungaray, Laken Riley and Kayla Hamilton, who were similarly killed in cases involving undocumented immigrants.

“Every last one of them deserves to grow up and build a future and live in a country that is safe, secure and governed simply by the rule of law,” Representative Wesley Hunt (R-TX) said. “Instead, these stories end in tragedy.”

Between 2021 and 2024, upwards of 10 million people have entered this country illegally. Rep. Hunt said he has heard other numbers, some as high as 20 million.

“I don't give a damn how many it is,” Rep. Hunt said. “It's one too many.”

Rep. Hunt said he is most disturbed by the fact that these tragedies were preventable, highlighting how a number of Democratic leaders refuse to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement.

“Government's first responsibility is to protect our citizens,” Rep. Hunt said. “Anything less than that is a dereliction of duty and a failure of leadership.”

Recent Rulings Reshape Debate

While many Republican lawmakers supported the Supreme Court’s decision to end the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) program for Syrians and Haitians, many now worry that its decision to uphold birthright citizenship could lead to more tragedies like those experienced by Gorman and Abraham’s families.

Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) said this will encourage “birth tourism,” which he describes as the “practice of baby factories.” He said Congress has no choice but to stop all immigration.

“If it's going to be exploited for people to come here when they're pregnant… and have children to become American citizens, and then have our laws exploited like they were under the previous administration,” Rep. Roy said.

Rep. Roy said these problems are the result of partisan policies, blaming former President Joe Biden’s administration and Democrats for increased illegal immigration and weaker border security in recent years.

“We can keep having hearings and keep allowing these people to put the pictures up of the people who have been murdered because we allowed our borders to be used as some sort of plaything,” he said.

Sarah Pierce, director of social policy at the advocacy think tank Third Way, countered that she thinks this was a result of a lack of resources to process asylum claims and manage the immigration system effectively.

Rep. Roy disagreed, pointing to Safe Mobility Offices, which help migrants apply for legal pathways to the U.S. from countries in the Western Hemisphere, as an example.

“These were offices that were directed and designated towards helping people move through our security system to get to the United States,” Rep. Roy said. “And then to sit here and listen to this exchange about what we're doing with our resources really strikes me as pretty hypocritical.”

Policy or Personal?

As policy debates continue, Rep. Hunt said he keeps returning to the families and names that set an emotional setting for the hearing.

“These are Americans,” Rep. Hunt said. “These are people's children, their family members, friends, and every single one of the names that I just mentioned deserve the chance to pursue the American dream.”

As a father, Rep. Hunt said protecting families like these motivates him every day.

“I see these pictures that are in front of me, and I will weep for you, because I see my babies in these photos, and it could have been one of mine as well,” Rep. Hunt said. “If we don't do our jobs up here on Capitol Hill, we're going to have more pictures, we're going to have more murders and we're going to have more rage.”