Tim Scott says presidents can't end birthright citizenship for children of undocumented immigrants

Republican White House hopeful Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina on Friday questioned the legality of campaign promises made by former President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to end birthright citizenship for the children of immigrants living in the U.S. unlawfully.

Asked whether he would join Trump and DeSantis in pledging to revoke birthright citizenship through an executive action if elected president, Scott said he does not believe presidents can do so unilaterally, echoing legal scholars who believe the change would require an amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

"I think the Congress would have to act. The president cannot do that by himself or herself outright," Scott told CBS News after a roundtable with community leaders in Yuma, Arizona, an area along the U.S.-Mexico border that has seen record levels of migrant crossings in recent years.