Hamadeh still quiet as GOP pals push bill to ban his path to citizenship

Republican Arizona Rep. Abe Hamadeh didn't weigh in when President Donald Trump attempted to outlaw birthright citizenship for people like him. Now some of Hamadeh's allies in the House of Representatives are trying to do the same thing, and he still hasn't said a word.

On Jan. 20, Trump signed an executive order that purported to withhold citizenship from the children of undocumented immigrants born on American soil. That describes Hamadeh, whose parents had overstayed their visas at the time of his birth in 1991. Hamadeh has not publicly addressed Trump's executive order, and his spokespeople did not return a request for comment when Phoenix New Times wrote about it on Wednesday.

On Thursday, a group of House Republicans announced a bill, HR 569, that would redefine birthright citizenship in the Immigration and Nationality Act in a way that would exclude children of undocumented immigrants. The bill, sponsored by Texas Rep. Brian Babin, has 35 other Republicans as co-sponsors.

Among those co-sponsors are two far-right Arizona congressmen with whom Hamadeh has been closely aligned: Reps. Eli Crane and Andy Biggs. Another co-sponsor is Texas Rep. Brandon Gill, who appeared on Fox News alongside Hamadeh just a day earlier to discuss military issues.

New Times reached out to the offices of all three to ask whether they'd spoken about the bill with Hamadeh, who presumably could offer unique insight on the value of birthright citizenship to immigrant children and the country. None have responded. New Times also reached out again to Hamadeh's office to ask about his position on HR 569 and again has yet to receive a response.

However Hamadeh feels, it seems clear that many of his political fellow travelers aim to ensure the next Abe Hamadeh doesn't take root on American soil. The naked unconstitutionality of their bill has not deterred their efforts.

Speaking to reporters in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, Biggs said he felt the bill would stand up to judicial scrutiny despite its direct conflict with the plain language of the 14th Amendment.

“I believe, ultimately, and I’m predicting and forecasting, that when this gets to the U.S. Supreme Court, the U.S. Supreme Court’s going to rule that this, this particular piece of legislation, is constitutional,” Biggs said.

On Thursday, a federal judge temporarily blocked Trump's executive order, calling it "blatantly unconstitutional." The Republican bill may be headed for the same fate, though Biggs is probably right in predicting that the issue will wind up before the Supreme Court.

In the meantime, HR 569 heads to the House Judiciary Committee, of which Biggs and Gill are members. If it escapes the committee, Hamadeh may not be able to avoid silence much longer. With his vote, he'll have to decide:

Will he defend birthright citizenship? Or, to keep in lockstep with the MAGA movement, will he vote to pull up the ladder behind him?