An Argument to Expand Freedom in America

Do you believe in Freedom? A question that has become increasingly polarized lately. 

We saw the fall of Roe vs Wade and the recent failed attack on birthright citizenship, the cornerstone of the modern United States. 

But this series is about public policy that can give immediate beneficial impact, so here's how we can expand freedom in our country by expanding the 14th Amendment to eliminate the second-class status of undocumented persons by giving all persons automatic citizenship after 5 years of residency.

America was built on the idea of a people governed by their own consent and unalienable rights. And unfortuantely, we have allowed corrupt politicians to make it unreasonably difficult to obtain basic dignity via a pathway to citizenship. Today, millions of people in this country are violated by a broken system that fails to meet our fundamental promise of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Normal people who work here, raise families here, and pay into the economy. And yet, this is not an accident. It is the predictable result of a system designed in the pursuit of labor exploitation and profit.

An unalienable right means without condition, rights that can not be disowned from a person. And coincidentally, due to personal and political corruption, we have allowed millions to be alienated from society’s basic promise. Those who support a society of lesser freedom even proudly use the term illegal alien to describe the hypocrisy of this reality. 

But I believe in freedom. And so I believe we should expand freedom to all people by creating a legitimate pathway to citizenship.

A Simple Fix

The proposal is direct. Amend the 14th Amendment so that any person who has resided in the United States for five continuous years is granted automatic citizenship, regardless of how they entered.

This removes the underclass by removing the condition that creates it. No more shadow status. No more decade-long waits. No more families living in fear of separation. And a fuck no to children and mothers in cages.

At our own peril, Freedom for all or for none

Supporters of limited government and free markets should find this proposal familiar. It reduces the size and reach of federal government and reduces government spending. Agencies like ICE and the policies of mass deportations have proven to be untrustworthy, anti-family, and require the degradation of our very own Constitution to enforce. A five-year pathway would immediately reduce undocumented status by millions over the course of a year as people sign up and fill out the paperwork needed to confirm their status and process their identities as normal citizenry. 

The immoral use of putting families in detention centers and years of case backlogs all cost taxpayers billions annually. A simpler system would be more ethical, cost less to run, and leave people alone.

It also restores a basic principle: government should not create two tiers of residents living under the same laws with different protections. A free society treats people who live within its borders as subject to its laws and entitled to its protections. Anything short of that is a form of authoritarian control, not freedom.

In the end, I will always favor a free society over a controlling society, and I believe enough in you to also wish for a freer society.