Born in the USA? Trump targets 'birth tourism' with new birthright citizenship executive order
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Born in the USA? Trump targets 'birth tourism' with new birthright citizenship executive order")
U.S. President Donald Trump rings a bell to mark the first day of trading for "Trump Accounts" with invited children, NYSE President Lynn Martin, Susan Dell and others in the Oval Office at the White House on July 06, 2026 in Washington, DC. Photograph: (AFP)
US President Donald Trump has signed a new executive order aimed at restricting birthright citizenship by targeting so called “birth tourism”. The move comes weeks after the Supreme Court blocked his earlier attempt to limit automatic US citizenship for children born on American soil.
US President Donald Trump on Thursday (Aug 6) signed a fresh executive order aimed at restricting birthright citizenship, targeting what his administration describes as "birth tourism" and other categories of foreign nationals whose children could automatically acquire US citizenship.
The move marks Trump's latest attempt to narrow the scope of the constitutional right, weeks after the US Supreme Court blocked an earlier effort to end automatic citizenship for children born to undocumented migrants and temporary visa holders.
What is Trump's new order?
Speaking at the White House on Thursday, Trump accused people of exploiting birthright citizenship by entering the United States on tourist visas solely to give birth. "They've taken birthright citizenship, and they've made a joke out of it," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. "We're making adjustments because it's very unfair," he added.
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According to White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, the executive order is intended to prevent citizenship benefits from being extended to children born to individuals who travel to the US primarily to give birth.
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Miller also said the order would cover children of members of "foreign terrorist organizations" and "large categories of people who lobby and act on behalf of foreign governments."
He said the measure "ensures that large numbers of people who wrongly (would) be getting birthright citizenship will no longer be eligible for those benefits."
Why is birthright citizenship controversial?
Birthright citizenship is guaranteed under the 14th Amendment to the US Constitution, which states that "all persons born or naturalised in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States."
There are already limited exceptions. Children born to foreign diplomats, for example, do not automatically receive US citizenship because their parents are not considered subject to US jurisdiction.
US immigration law also already allows consular officers to deny visas if they believe an applicant's primary purpose for travelling is to give birth in the country.
Supreme Court blocked Trump's earlier attempt
Earlier this year, Trump signed an executive order seeking to deny automatic citizenship to children born to parents who were in the US illegally or on temporary visas.
Lower courts halted the policy, and in late June the US Supreme Court ruled against the administration, reaffirming constitutional protections for birthright citizenship. Trump called that decision "very unfortunate."
His administration had argued that the 14th Amendment, adopted after the Civil War, was intended to guarantee citizenship for formerly enslaved people rather than the children of undocumented immigrants or temporary visitors.
