The US Supreme Court has blocked an executive order by President Donald Trump that sought to end "birthright citizenship," the automatic granting of US citizenship to children born in the United States.
The Supreme Court maintained a broad interpretation of birthright citizenship in a 6-3 decision Monday, Reuters reported.
Trump signed the executive order on his first day in office in January last year, banning birthright citizenship for children born to foreign parents who are either in the country illegally or lack permanent residency. Following the order, 22 states led by Democratic governors, along with Washington, D.C., filed lawsuits arguing the order violated the 14th Amendment to the Constitution. The lower courts in the first and second instances ruled it unconstitutional and issued injunctions to halt its effect.
Adopted in 1868, shortly after the Civil War, the 14th Amendment stipulates that all persons born or naturalized in the United States are US citizens. Accordingly, children born in the United States to foreign parents temporarily residing without permanent residency have automatically acquired US citizenship.
The Trump administration had argued that the original purpose of birthright citizenship was to guarantee citizenship to Black slaves and their children immediately after the Civil War, not for wealthy Chinese families engaging in birth tourism or for undocumented residents. In April, Trump became the first sitting president to attend oral arguments before the Supreme Court, lending weight to the administration's position.
Reuters noted that "the Supreme Court dealt Trump a painful defeat with this ruling," calling it "the second case this year to put the brakes on a major policy of the Trump administration." The court had previously ruled in February that reciprocal tariffs were unlawful.
In Washington, some assess that Trump suffered humiliation by losing a case in which he personally went to the Supreme Court to argue. Others interpret it differently, saying that regardless of the outcome, he clearly demonstrated to his support base his resolve to fight against progressive immigration law. Trump made no direct comment immediately after the ruling, and just before the decision he posted on Truth Social a link to an article titled "Trump's attempt to abolish birthright citizenship can succeed regardless of the Supreme Court's ruling."
