President Trump has had many seemingly controversial proposals throughout his term, but the newest may be the hottest for SVHS students.

   The latest proposal is an executive order negating an amendment of the United States Constitution: birthright citizenship, or the law granting citizenship to all people born in the U.S. The amendment has been in place for over 150 years since it was added after the Civil War to establish the citizenship of former slaves and African-Americans.

  It is a very influential law for immigrants coming to the U.S. that President Trump is trying to take away. According to Trump, “We’re the only country in the world where a person comes in, has a baby, and the baby is essentially a citizen of the United States for 85 years with all of those benefits.”

   Although that statement is false, his opinion is still clear and in multiple interviews recently, the president has spoken of changes coming.

  For Sonoma, that change would be drastic. One senior boy shared his fears saying, “my parents weren’t born here. They brought me here for a better life and better education.” He added that most of his friends also fit under this category. He believes that Sonoma would be highly affected because much of the population is Latino immigrants.

  He and many others in Sonoma were born and grew up in this country. They were brought here to attend college and help support their families. Without birthright citizenship, that wouldn’t be possible.

  Counselor Luis Bravo believes Trump’s plan is unconstitutional and threatens to “tear families apart.” Bravo is concerned with that the process will be confusing to children. “If they are not American, what are they?” Bravo implored. “Adapting to what country?”

   Maricela Sanchez, school counselor, thinks that if the plan is approved, it will cause confusion for the families. “Children who grow up as U.S. citizens would be deported to their parent’s homeland, a place of which they may know nothing and have no family.” Such an abrupt result would be cruel and unfair, Sanchez said. “It would be pulling the rug from under our feet,” she concluded.