John Leguizamo doled out some harsh truths to “every white person” about the realities of birthright citizenship on “The Daily Show” Wednesday night.
“The Odyssey” actor appeared on “The Daily Show” to walk viewers through the controversy surrounding the 14th Amendment, which enshrines birthright citizenship in the U.S. Constitution, and the Trump administration’s push to get it revoked. Leguizamo laid out his explanation to why MAGA conservatives freaking out about birthright citizenship now makes no sense since it’s older than “the light bulb, the zipper and Mitch McConnell — barely.”
“It’s continuing a right that already existed,” Leguizamo said. “It’s like if they ruled that Jersey is still a state. I mean, I’m not happy about it either, but nothing’s changed.
“Look, it’s not like the 14th Amendment is confusing. It says, ‘All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States.’ Forget ‘Hooked on Phonics.’ You could understand that sentence if you were hooked on crack.”
Watch the full segment below.
He added a sly nod to his latest project with Christopher Nolan: “My God, you don’t need to translate it into a modern language, like that’s some kind of ancient Greek text that’s getting an incredible adaptation in theaters this weekend. But the point is, America works on the Olive Garden rule. When you’re here, you’re family.”
Leguizamo then played a number of clips from conservative media pundits denouncing birthright citizenship as a loophole immigrants manipulate to build a family in the States. Some even suggested the 14th Amendment would eventually influence elections because immigrants visit the U.S. to have a baby and then 18 years later they could sit on a jury or eventually run for office. He pointed out that every white person in the country was descended from someone who was here illegally — so on those grounds, walking back the amendment doesn’t make sense.
“Now, the Trump administration says that we’re not talking about all children of immigrants,” Leguizamo finished. “We’re only saying birthright citizenship doesn’t apply to children of people here illegally or temporarily. But how far back do you want to take that? Because at some point, every white person was here illegally.”
Watch the actor’s full “Daily Show” takedown in the video above.
