US President Donald Trump has wasted no time in acting on his campaign pledge to enforce a strict crackdown on illegal immigration. However, his efforts have been met with legal resistance, as multiple federal judges have blocked his executive order aimed at ending birthright citizenship.

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For nearly 160 years, the 14th Amendment of the US Constitution has granted citizenship to anyone born on American soil.

But as part of his immigration policies, Trump is pushing to deny citizenship to children of migrants who are in the country illegally or on temporary visas.

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Defending his stance, Trump took to Truth Social on Sunday (Feb 16), saying, "The 14th Amendment Right of American Citizenship never had anything to do with modern-day 'gate crashers,' illegal immigrants who break the Law by being in our Country. It had everything to do with giving Citizenship to former slaves."

He further added, "Our Founding Fathers are 'spinning in their graves' at the idea that our Country can be taken away from us. No Nation in the World has anything like this. Our lawyers and Judges have to be tough and protect America!"

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Trump argues that automatic citizenship is being exploited by undocumented immigrants crossing the southern border and insists that the long-standing interpretation of the 14th Amendment must change. If enforced, his executive order would overturn more than a century of legal precedent guaranteeing citizenship to nearly all individuals born in the US, regardless of their parents' immigration status.

Legal setbacks for Trump’s orders

The court rulings against Trump’s executive order on birthright citizenship are just one of several legal defeats he has faced in recent weeks.

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His administration's attempts to freeze federal spending and reduce the government workforce through buyout offers have also been blocked by multiple judges. Several lawsuits have been filed, challenging the president’s executive actions.

(With inputs from agencies)