Trump's New Bid to Limit Birthright Citizenship Targets "Birth Tourism"

President Donald Trump has renewed his effort to limit birthright citizenship with a new executive order, focusing on "birth tourism." This move comes weeks after the Supreme Court blocked his initial attempt to restrict the right for children of undocumented immigrants.

The White House's new directive asserts that automatic citizenship should not apply to children born to mothers who enter the U.S. with the primary purpose of giving birth. The order also proposes other exceptions based on the parents' immigration status and their ties to foreign governments. This strategy follows the Supreme Court's June 29, 2026, decision, which rejected Trump's prior attempt to deny citizenship to children of undocumented immigrants, citing the guarantee of the Fourteenth Amendment.

Trump's first executive order on this matter was signed on January 20, 2025, his second inauguration day. It aimed to deny automatic citizenship to some children born in the U.S. to parents with irregular or temporary status. However, courts blocked this order following lawsuits from states and civil rights groups like the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), who argued that an executive order could not alter a right protected by the Fourteenth Amendment. The Supreme Court's ruling on June 29, 2026, upheld the existing interpretation of the amendment, which grants citizenship to nearly everyone born on U.S. soil, regardless of their parents' immigration status.

The current order shifts focus to "birth tourism," defined by the administration as foreign women traveling to the U.S. solely to give birth and secure U.S. citizenship for their children. The directive instructs federal agencies not to recognize the citizenship of children born in the country if the mother is not legally present in the U.S. and the father is neither a U.S. citizen nor a lawful permanent resident. The White House contends that the Supreme Court's ruling allows for these exceptions, as the Fourteenth Amendment, in their interpretation, does not cover individuals not "subject to the jurisdiction" of the United States. The order also outlines potential exceptions for children of foreign government officials and individuals deemed foreign terrorists.