Editor’s Note: a guest post by Veronica Kemeny, whose Veronica Live podcast is one we frequent often. See below for Veronica’s social media and podcast addresses.

For weeks, political pundits predicted the Court would reject President Trump’s executive order seeking to end automatic U.S. citizenship for children born in the United States when neither parent was a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident.

I hoped the pundits were wrong.

They weren’t.

In a 6-3 decision, the Supreme Court struck down President Trump’s executive order and reaffirmed  children born in the United States are citizens under the 14th Amendment, regardless of whether their parents entered the country illegally or are here temporarily.

Really? No way.

The 14th Amendment states all persons born or naturalized in the United States, and “subject to the jurisdiction thereof,” are citizens. The Court concluded that this language protects birthright citizenship for virtually everyone born on American soil.

So today, if someone crosses our border illegally, has a baby in America, that child is automatically an American citizen.

This is so wrong!

This undermines respect for our immigration laws and cheapens the value of American citizenship. Allowing those who enter our country illegally—or those who come here simply to give birth while visiting—to have children who instantly become American citizens is completely un-American.

I know this issue personally because I have lived the experience.

When I was a First Lieutenant stationed in Germany, proudly serving our nation with NATO, I gave birth to my first child. It never once crossed my mind that my son would automatically become German simply because he happened to be born there.

And he didn’t.

According to German law, because both of his parents were American citizens, our son was an American—not German.

Germany has long based citizenship on jus sanguinis, or “right of blood.” Citizenship is generally inherited through one’s parents rather than simply by being born within the country’s borders.

Likewise, my son did not qualify under Germany’s limited jus soli, or “right of soil,” provisions. Under German law, a child born to foreign parents receives German citizenship at birth only if at least one parent has lived legally in Germany for several years and holds a permanent residence permit.

Let me repeat that word.

Legally.

We weren’t German residents. We were Americans temporarily serving our country overseas. Our son was an American because his parents were Americans—not because of where he happened to be born.

I’ve always had clarity on this issue.

Many Americans don’t realize that numerous developed nations have stricter birthright citizenship laws than the United States. Germany is just one example. Many countries require legal residency, permanent status, or citizenship before a child born there automatically becomes a citizen.

Yet America continues to offer one of the broadest interpretations of birthright citizenship in the world.

To those of us who believe citizenship should reflect allegiance to our nation and respect for our immigration laws, this decision is a punch in the gut.

The Supreme Court has spoken and I respectfully disagree with their decision.

Citizenship is one of the greatest gifts our nation can bestow. It should never be treated as automatic or taken for granted.

This debate isn’t over. It’s just beginning.