New York: In a major blow to Donald Trump, the US Supreme Court struck down the President’s executive order seeking to limit birthright citizenship.
In a landmark ruling that will have great implications for immigration policy and constitutional law, America’s top court reaffirmed the long-standing interpretation of the 14
th Amendment that grants citizenship to children born on American soil.
Trump had signed an executive order on the first day of his second term as President — on January 20, 2025 — denying automatic citizenship to children born in the US if their parents were either in the country illegally or present on temporary visas.
In other words, Trump’s order would have restricted citizenship to children with one parent who was an American citizen or lawful permanent resident.
On Tuesday, the Supreme Court upheld a lower court order blocking the executive directive in a 6-3 ruling.
As per the rule which existed for over 150 years, citizenship was guaranteed to children born in the United States regardless of their parents’ immigration status, with exceptions being made for children of foreign diplomats or enemy occupying forces.
But Trump has long argued that the previous interpretation of birthright citizenship encourages abuse of the immigration system.