President Donald Trump announced Thursday that he has signed two new executive actions aimed at reducing the number of people born in the United States who are eligible for U.S. citizenship and curbing so-called “birth tourism.”
Trump said one action will narrow who qualifies for citizenship by virtue of being born in the United States. The second seeks to tighten visa restrictions on visitors who travel to the U.S. expressly to give birth so their children obtain American citizenship. He offered few specifics at the announcement and said he believed the measures would be constitutional.
The moves come after the Supreme Court in June rejected his earlier attempt to limit birthright citizenship, upholding a broad interpretation of the right to citizenship at birth. On his first day in office for his second term, Trump signed an executive order intended to end birthright citizenship, which guarantees that most people born in the United States are citizens.
That earlier executive order was immediately challenged in court. Opponents argued it conflicted with the 14th Amendment, adopted after the Civil War, which grants citizenship to people born in the country with very limited exceptions. Several lower courts blocked the order from taking effect, and the Supreme Court struck it down by a 6-3 vote.
Advocates and many legal observers say the constitutional question of birthright citizenship is long-settled, while Trump and his supporters continue to press changes through executive actions and policy adjustments. The administration provided no further detail Thursday about how the new measures will be implemented or how they would withstand additional legal challenges.