Trump issues new executive orders to limit US birthright citizenship

This action follows the Supreme Court's rejection of his previous attempt to eliminate the right. One order expands the definition of non-citizens whose children are ineligible for birthright citizenship, specifically targeting those whose parents are members of foreign terrorist groups, foreign government employees, have attempted fraudulent citizenship, or reside in US territories where citizenship is not federally conferred. The second order aims to ban "birth tourism," a practice where pregnant mothers travel to the US to give birth, ensuring their children become citizens.

Trump stated that this issue "should have happened years ago" and criticized the Supreme Court's earlier decision. Stephen Miller, homeland security advisor, argued that the president has the authority to ban birth tourism under the Immigration and Nationality Act. While Trump claimed hundreds of thousands of babies are born through birth tourism, the Migration Policy Institute estimates a much lower figure, around 22,000 to 26,000 annually, with government data showing 9,600 births to mothers with foreign addresses in 2024.

Gabriel Chin, a professor at the University of California Davis' School of Law, noted that while the president might restrict entry for birth tourism, he likely lacks the power to deny citizenship to a child born in the US, an issue he believes was settled by the Sup