Trump 'congratulates Xi, China' after Supreme Court upholds birthright citizenship
What's the story
United States President Donald Trump has reacted to the Supreme Court's ruling on birthright citizenship by sarcastically congratulating President Xi Jinping and the "great country of China." The court ruled 6-3 to block Trump's contentious attempt to limit citizenship at birth for those born on US soil. It is Trump's third major setback in recent months, following the February verdict that invalidated his sweeping tariffs and Monday's decision that barred him from immediately removing Lisa Cook from the Federal Reserve.
Legislative push
'End unfair to our country'
Reacting to the ruling, in a post on Truth Social, Trump said, "I would like to congratulate President Xi, and the Great Country of China, on their massive Birthright Citizenship WIN!" He called the ruling a setback for America and urged Congress to legislate against birthright citizenship. "No long and unwieldy Constitutional Amendment is necessary! Congress should start TODAY to work on ending expensive and unfair to our Country," he wrote.
Legal precedent
Court relied on landmark 1898 case
Chief Justice John Roberts wrote the majority opinion, joined by conservative justices Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett, and three liberal justices. The court relied heavily on the landmark 1898 case United States v. Wong Kim Ark, which established that nearly all children born in America are US citizens. Roberts dismissed arguments that "subject to the jurisdiction thereof" mentioned in the 14th Amendment excludes children of undocumented immigrants or temporary visa holders.
Jurisdictional argument
'We keep that promise today'
"Children born in the United States to parents unlawfully or temporarily present are 'subject to the jurisdiction' of the United States and are citizens at birth under the Fourteenth Amendment's Citizenship Clause," Roberts wrote. "The Framers of the Fourteenth Amendment extended that promise to 'every free-born person in this land'," he wrote. "We keep that promise today," the chief justice said.
Public interest
Birthright citizenship case drew national attention
The birthright citizenship case drew national attention as it tested one of the oldest constitutional protections in American law. Since 1868, the US has granted citizenship to everyone born in the nation, a right guaranteed by the 14th Amendment and reinforced by subsequent US Supreme Court rulings. The 14th Amendment, passed in the aftermath of the Civil War and initially meant for newly liberated slaves, states that "all persons born or naturalized, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens."