Watch What Happens When You Push Away Skilled Immigrants

In a recent Washington Post op-ed, Michael Anton, a former adviser to President Donald Trump, called for an end to birthright citizenship. His proposal was dramatic and ominous. “An executive order,” Anton declared, “could specify … that the children of noncitizens are not citizens.” Worded thus, such an order wouldn’t simply end birthright citizenship — it would strip citizenship from the children of green-card holders and illegal immigrants alike, leaving millions of American citizens suddenly without a country. Stripping millions of citizens of their citizenship would, by any reasonable definition, herald the end of the U.S.’s status as a liberal democracy. Although Anton backtracked on this dark proposal in a follow-up blog post, it’s the kind of idea that, once uttered, can’t easily be forgotten.

If Trump or any other president attempted to issue such an order, it would almost certainly be blocked by the courts, since birthright citizenship is guaranteed by the Constitution’s 14th Amendment. But the mere fact that intellectuals like Anton are willing to contemplate this sort of thing in public must exert a chilling effect on anyone thinking of moving to the U.S.