Kansas Secretary of State-elect Kris Kobach was in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday helping unveil a proposal to prevent U.S. citizenship for the American-born children of illegal immigrants.

Kobach, a Republican who will take office next week, was among a group of other Republican officeholders from several states proposing bills that would prevent babies born in those states of illegal immigrant parents from being citizens.

The right of U.S. citizenship for everyone born on American soil is part of the 14th amendment to the Constitution. But Kobach and some legislators say that the amendment was not intended to apply to children of immigrants in the country illegally.