Trump signs executive orders limiting birthright citizenship
What's the story
United States President Donald Trump has signed two new executive orders aimed at limiting birthright citizenship. The move comes after the US Supreme Court had rejected a similar attempt as unconstitutional. The new orders focus on specific groups that the administration believes are not covered by the Citizenship Clause of the 14th Amendment. These include children born to parents who come for "birth tourism," children of foreign government employees in the US, and children of people classified as alien enemies.
Policy announcement
Orders could impact US territories' citizenship rights
White House aide Stephen Miller announced a ban on birth tourism at the signing ceremony in the Oval Office.
He said, "That practice of birth tourism is, as of the signing of this order, hereby banned."
The orders could also impact those born in US territories if Congress passes legislation to end automatic citizenship there.
Despite facing immediate legal challenges, limiting birthright citizenship has been a key focus of Trump's immigration agenda.
Court criticism
Trump's criticism of Supreme Court's birthright citizenship ruling
Trump has criticized the Supreme Court's decision to uphold birthright citizenship protections.
He called it a "very, very unfortunate decision" and argued that the Citizenship Clause was adopted in a different historical context, specifically after the Civil War for the children of slaves.
His previous executive order sought to deny automatic citizenship to children born in America if neither parent was a citizen or lawful permanent resident.
Legal debate
Legal experts question Trump's executive orders
Legal experts have questioned the impact of these new executive orders in light of the Supreme Court's ruling.
Deborah Fleischaker, a former Biden administration official, called the orders an attempt to circumvent constitutional guarantees. She told Reuters, "Just five weeks ago, the Supreme Court made clear that birthright citizenship is not subject to a president's whims."
The Center for Immigration Studies estimates 20,000-25,000 mothers entered America for birth tourism during 2016-2017.