Every system has its loopholes—but few are as brazen, or as expensive to taxpayers, as the one written directly into American immigration law. It’s the kind of policy that, once you hear it explained in plain English, makes you wonder how it survived this long without serious pushback.
Enter Joe Rogan. The podcaster has built an empire on saying what millions of Americans think but few public figures have the spine to voice. With an audience that dwarfs mainstream news networks, Rogan has become something of a cultural barometer—a regular guy asking regular questions that Washington would rather dodge.
President Trump made birthright citizenship a cornerstone of his immigration platform, arguing that automatic citizenship for children born to illegal immigrants creates perverse incentives. The administration has pushed for reforms, though legal challenges remain. The debate has simmered for years—mostly ignored by a media class that prefers to call the whole thing “complicated.”
Rogan Weighs In
Now Rogan is adding his voice to the chorus, and he’s not mincing words. During a recent episode of The Joe Rogan Experience with author Michael Malice, the conversation turned to illegal immigration and the arrests of migrants for various crimes. That’s when Rogan delivered his verdict on birthright citizenship.
From The Joe Rogan Experience:
Especially if you are illegal, and then you come here specifically to have a baby, and then you can stay, too. That’s kind of crazy. That’s a crazy law.
Hard to argue with that, isn’t it?
Malice agreed, noting that eliminating birthright citizenship would solve many of these problems. He suggested a potential compromise: let people pay taxes without receiving welfare or Medicaid benefits. “People understand that argument, maybe,” Malice offered. Rogan also took aim at government spending on illegal immigrants, calling the migrant budget “crazy” and declaring there should be “zero dollars for illegal immigrants.”
The sentiment reflects what many taxpayers have long felt—why should their hard-earned money subsidize those who bypassed the legal process entirely?
What Would It Take?
Changing birthright citizenship isn’t simple. The Fourteenth Amendment has been interpreted to grant citizenship to anyone born on U.S. soil. Altering that would require either a Constitutional amendment—a herculean political lift—or a Supreme Court willing to reinterpret the clause’s original meaning. Neither path is easy, but since when has “difficult” stopped Americans from doing what’s right?
With the current administration’s focus on immigration reform and a shifting Supreme Court, the conversation feels more possible now than it has in decades. The window may be narrow, but it exists.
The Common-Sense Verdict
Look, here’s what gets me about Rogan’s comments: he’s not a politician with an agenda or a pundit chasing ratings. He’s a comedian and podcaster who looked at this policy and saw what any reasonable person sees—a system that actively rewards rule-breaking.
Our immigration laws should encourage legal entry, not create golden tickets for circumventing the process. That’s not radical. That’s not even partisan. That’s common sense.
Millions of Americans already know the answer. The real question is whether anyone in Washington is paying attention.
Key Takeaways
- Joe Rogan called birthright citizenship “a crazy law” that incentivizes illegal border crossings.
- Guest Michael Malice argued eliminating the policy would solve many immigration problems.
- Changing the law would require a Constitutional amendment or Supreme Court reinterpretation.
- Rogan’s massive platform is pushing this debate from the fringes into the mainstream.
Sources: Breitbart
