United States President Donald Trump has signed two executive orders aimed at restricting birthright citizenship, renewing his administration’s drive to tighten immigration policy.
The orders, signed on Thursday, are designed to curb what the White House describes as “birth tourism”, a practice in which foreign nationals travel to the United States to give birth so their children can automatically acquire American citizenship.
White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller said the new measures effectively prohibit the practice, declaring that birth tourism had been banned under the executive orders.
The directives also seek to restrict automatic citizenship for children born in the United States to foreign government employees and individuals. They could also affect people born in United States territories if Congress approves the proposed legislation.
The move follows a Supreme Court ruling on 30 June that struck down an earlier executive order issued by President Trump, which sought to deny citizenship to children born in the United States to parents who were in the country unlawfully or temporarily.
Speaking at the White House, Trump criticised the court’s decision, describing it as “very unfortunate” and arguing that some individuals were exploiting birthright citizenship for personal advantage.
The President said; “the latest executive orders were intended to address abuses of the immigration system while remaining within the bounds of the law.’
However, immigration advocates and legal experts have questioned the legality of the measures, arguing that “they seek to circumvent the Supreme Court’s ruling.”
Civil rights organisations, including the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), have indicated that the executive orders are likely to face fresh legal challenges.
The Citizenship Clause of the 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution guarantees citizenship to most people born on American soil, with only limited exceptions, including the children of foreign diplomats.
Reuters
