KEY POINTS
- Trump says birthright citizenship was intended for children of formerly enslaved people.
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The executive order seeks to halt automatic US citizenship for children born to foreign nationals.
- Legal challenges continue as the Supreme Court prepares its review.
US President Donald Trump renewed his push to end birthright citizenship, arguing that the constitutional guarantee protecting children born on American soil originally served only the children of enslaved people. He said the policy never applied to “wealthy foreigners” who travel to the US to give birth.
Legal fight over ending birthright citizenship
In an interview with Politico, Trump defended the executive order he signed on his first day back in January 2025. The order stops automatic citizenship for children born in the United States. He said immigration-related costs increasingly strain the nation and framed the order as part of broader efforts to manage those pressures.
Trump warned the fallout would be “devastating” if the Supreme Court rules against his administration. He said the legal basis for birthright citizenship “had everything to do with the babies of slaves,” tracing it to the Civil War period. “That case was not meant for some rich person coming from another country,” he said. “Suddenly, their whole family becomes United States citizens.” Trump added that he believes the judges “understand it, too.”
Political tensions rise around the policy
The 14th Amendment, adopted in 1868, states that “all persons born or naturalised in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States.” Lawmakers drafted it to secure citizenship for formerly enslaved people and those born on US soil who lacked legal recognition before the war.
After Trump signed the order, his administration set a deadline. Babies born in the country more than 30 days after his inauguration would not qualify for automatic citizenship. The directive triggered a wave of lawsuits. Federal courts in several states blocked enforcement in the early weeks. In June, the Supreme Court ruled that lower courts did not have the authority to issue sweeping nationwide injunctions against an executive order. The decision cleared the path for the justices to take up the central question of whether Trump’s move aligns with the Constitution.
According to Vanguard, Trump has argued that ending birthright citizenship could reduce what he says are economic burdens linked to migrant arrivals. He told Politico the country “cannot afford to house tens of millions of people.” The Supreme Court is expected to hear the case in the coming months. Its ruling could reshape immigration rules and define how the 14th Amendment applies in modern America.
