Witness at task force hearing says proposal would create ‘caste system’ and harm U.S.-born children

A witness told a task force hearing that a proposal under consideration would "formally create a caste system in the United States of America," and said it would effectively bar American-born children from the "American dream" and from fully participating in American life.

The witness tied those concerns to policy, arguing that some of the politicians supporting the measure had recently backed cuts to food assistance. "In Texas alone, more than 344,000 babies, children, have lost their SNAP benefits in the last year," the witness said, and urged the task force to consider the consequences for children. The witness also invoked constitutional history, saying the Fourteenth Amendment was adopted in the aftermath of slavery "because this country had learned at an extraordinary cost."

The testimony framed the task force's stated mission of defending constitutional rights as inconsistent with the speaker's view of the proposal. The witness said the task force "has no place in potently attempting to dictate American born children who deserve citizenship," and criticized rhetoric that had described U.S.-born children as a "burden."

The hearing record included no action, vote, or formal response to the speaker's remarks in the provided transcript. The witness closed by asking the body not to "reopen that door," warning against allowing the government to decide who born on American soil "fully belong."