Trump Targets Birthright Citizenship with New Executive Orders
The President's latest move to restrict citizenship and combat 'birth tourism' follows a Supreme Court rejection of similar plans in June.
Image: Eddie Pollard / AI
Carla Rooney
Donald Trump signed two executive orders on Thursday aimed at restricting birthright citizenship.
Despite the prior ruling, Donald Trump asserted his belief that these executive orders are legal. A White House staffer claimed there was "absolutely nothing" in the new orders that would run "afoul" of the recent court ruling on the subject.
Absolutely nothing in the new orders that would run afoul of the recent court ruling on the subject.
Stephen Miller was present at the ceremony where the orders were unveiled. Republicans argue that birth tourism constitutes a massive source of fraud.
The Migration Policy Institute's highest census-based estimate places birth tourism at 22,000 to 26,000 babies born annually on US soil. Government data from 2024 show just 9,600 births to mothers with foreign addresses, significantly lower than the President's claims of hundreds of thousands.
Beyond the legal debate, the US President has also set his sights on restricting birthright citizenship for foreign diplomatic staff. Birthright citizenship for individuals born in US territories like Puerto Rico is codified by federal statute, adding another layer of legal complexity to the discussion.
Donald Trump's father, Fred Trump, was born a US citizen to a non-citizen mother who arrived in New York five months pregnant.