US President Donald Trump has renewed his controversial campaign to restrict birthright citizenship, signing two executive orders aimed at limiting automatic citizenship for some children born in the United States.
The new directives, signed on Thursday, come just weeks after the US Supreme Court blocked an earlier attempt by the Trump administration to curtail birthright citizenship.
One of the orders seeks to broaden the circumstances in which children born in the US to certain foreign nationals would not automatically receive American citizenship.
The measure targets children whose parents fall into specific categories, including some legal foreign residents such as diplomats and employees of international organisations.
It could also have implications for people born in US territories if Congress approves proposed legislation seeking to change citizenship rules in those jurisdictions.
The second executive order focuses on so-called “birth tourism,” a practice in which pregnant foreign nationals travel to the United States on temporary visas with the intention of giving birth so their children can obtain US citizenship.
The White House said the order is also aimed at individuals and organisations that facilitate such travel.
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It directs the Secretary of State to develop measures against birth tourism, including potential permanent bans on individuals found to have violated the new restrictions.
“This should have happened years ago, but we’re taking care of it now,” Trump said after signing the orders.
The move follows a June 30 Supreme Court ruling that dealt a major setback to Trump’s earlier attempt to restrict birthright citizenship through executive action.
In a 6-3 decision, the court reaffirmed the constitutional principle that people born on US soil are entitled to citizenship, including children whose parents are undocumented immigrants or temporarily present in the country.
Trump criticised the decision after the ruling, describing the outcome as “very unfortunate.”
The latest executive orders are expected to face legal challenges, with opponents arguing that the measures conflict with the constitutional protections surrounding citizenship at birth.
The renewed battle is therefore likely to return the issue to the courts, potentially setting up another major legal confrontation between the Trump administration and civil rights groups over the scope of the 14th Amendment.
