The sad inevitability of Justice Alito's birthright citizenship dissent

Key Points:

• Justice Samuel Alito, whose family immigrated from southern Italy facing discrimination, dissented against the Supreme Court's rejection of President Trump's attempt to end birthright citizenship, echoing historical anti-immigrant rhetoric similar to that once directed at Italian Americans.
• Alito's dissent portrays undocumented migrants and their U.S.-born children with suspicion, using language reminiscent of past xenophobic attacks against immigrant groups, and questions their national allegiance without evidence.
• Despite acknowledging that many U.S.-born children of undocumented immigrants have a "strong moral claim" to remain in the country, Alito criticizes birth tourism and supports limiting birthright citizenship, viewing the court's decision as a serious mistake.
• The article highlights the irony of Alito's stance given his own immigrant roots and contrasts it with the author's personal immigrant family history, emphasizing how descendants of immigrants often forget the struggles and discrimination their ancestors faced.
• Ultimately, the piece argues that Alito's vote represents a betrayal of his family's immigrant legacy and aligns with exclusionary forces that historically opposed the inclusion of new immigrants in American society.