Trump issues new executive orders targeting birthright citizenship

U.S. President Donald Trump has signed two executive orders seeking to further restrict the right to citizenship by birth in the United States. These orders represent a renewed attempt to challenge the interpretation of the 14th Amendment, following a Supreme Court decision that affirmed birthright citizenship for all born on U.S. soil.

The first executive order stipulates that children born to individuals identified by U.S. authorities as foreign enemies, members of foreign terrorist organizations, or acting on behalf of foreign governments will not be eligible for citizenship by birth. This measure narrows the scope of who qualifies for automatic citizenship based on their parents' status.

The second order targets 'birth tourism,' a practice where expectant mothers travel to the U.S. primarily to give birth and obtain citizenship for their child. Current U.S. law already prohibits issuing visas if the main purpose of travel is to secure citizenship for a child through birth in the U.S. It remains unclear how this new executive order will further tighten these existing regulations.

Trump expressed dissatisfaction with the Supreme Court's June ruling, which upheld that the 14th Amendment grants citizenship to all individuals born in the U.S., including those whose parents are in the country unlawfully or temporarily. The court's decision also reaffirmed long-standing exceptions for children of diplomats and those born during hostile military occupations. Conservative Justice Clarence Thomas, in a dissenting opinion, argued that the court's interpretation created a constitutional right to citizenship for children of undocumented immigrants and those entering solely for childbirth.

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The Supreme Court made the wrong decision when it overturned his previous attempt to limit citizenship for children born in the U.S.