Danny Tarkanian of the State of Nevada said on April 8 that the Fourteenth Amendment was never meant to be exploited by illegal immigration loopholes, as the Supreme Court considers the constitutionality of a 2025 executive order addressing citizenship under the amendment.
Tarkanian’s statement comes as national attention focuses on federal immigration policy and its alignment with constitutional provisions established after the Civil War. The timing aligns with broader debates over the scope of the Fourteenth Amendment’s Citizenship Clause in relation to modern enforcement challenges, according to a post on social media as the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the case examining the executive order on citizenship issued in January 2025.
“SCOTUS is reviewing whether birthright citizenship can be restricted after a 2025 executive order. The 14th Amendment was never meant to be exploited by illegal immigration loopholes. As AG, I’ll defend the rule of law, not activist interpretations,” Tarkanian said, according to his social media post.
Nevada reports one of the highest proportions of births to illegal immigrant mothers among all states. According to an analysis by the Center for Immigration Studies of Census Bureau data, nearly one in six births in Nevada falls into this category. This figure exceeds the national average and places added pressure on state resources for education and healthcare services provided to these families. The data comes from detailed demographic breakdowns covering multiple years of American Community Survey records.
Nationally, approximately 300,000 births were recorded to unauthorized immigrant mothers in 2023, according to Pew Research Center estimates. This number reflects an increase from about 200,000 in 2021 and accounts for roughly nine percent of all U.S. births when including temporary legal immigrant mothers as well. The trend underscores the scale of automatic citizenship grants under current interpretations of the Fourteenth Amendment.
Tarkanian serves as a Douglas County Commissioner after winning election in 2020 and reelection in 2024. According to Ballotpedia, he earned a law degree from the University of San Diego and founded a nonprofit supporting at-risk youth.
