US President Donald Trump has issued two executive orders designed to restrict birthright citizenship, marking a new phase in his administration's efforts to alter the interpretation of the Fourteenth Amendment. Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office on Thursday, the president criticized a recent Supreme Court ruling regarding birthright citizenship, labeling it an "unfortunate decision" and arguing that the current system is "very unfair."
Trump stated that the original intent of the Fourteenth Amendment, which was established following the Civil War to protect the children of slaves, is being exploited. He expressed concern that individuals are building businesses around the practice of obtaining citizenship through birth, asserting that this was not how the policy was intended to function. The Fourteenth Amendment guarantees that all persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to its jurisdiction, are citizens.
White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller explained that the first executive order utilizes the president's authority as commander in chief to broaden the categories of individuals ineligible for automatic citizenship. According to Miller, this order applies to "alien enemies of the United States, members of foreign terrorist organisations, and large categories of people who lobby and act on behalf of foreign governments." By taking this step, the administration intends to ensure that large numbers of people who would otherwise receive birthright citizenship will no longer be eligible for those benefits.
The second executive order signed by the president targets "birth tourism," a practice where individuals travel to the United States on temporary visas primarily to give birth so their children can acquire citizenship. Miller noted that this order directs consular officers to deny visas to applicants whose primary objective for travel is to obtain citizenship for a child. These actions follow a June Supreme Court ruling that struck down a previous executive order by Trump, where Chief Justice John Roberts affirmed that the protections of the 14th Amendment extend to all children born on American soil.
