United States (US) President Donald Trump signed several executive orders on Monday (January 20), one of them being an end to birthright citizenship. 

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In America, birthright citizenship is a legal principle under which citizenship is automatically granted to individuals upon birth. 

According to the American Immigration Council, there are two forms of birthright citizenship, ancestry-based citizenship and birthplace-based citizenship.

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The council says that birthplace-based citizenship grants citizenship based on the place of birth. 

Trump's order to come into force next month

President Trump's order to end birthright citizenship would come into effect from February 20. 

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The order would ensure that the children of foreign passport holders would no longer be considered American citizens. 

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Though Trump has vowed to end the practice, attempts to do so would face legal hurdles. A report by BBC on Tuesday said that the American Civil Liberties Union and other groups immediately sued the Trump administration over the executive order.

Will Trump's order impact Indians on the Green Card wait list?

Recent reports citing American authorities have said that over a million Indians are waiting for Green Cards. These Indians are likely to get affected when Trump's executive order comes into force.

In a statement, the White House said on Monday that the privilege of American citizenship did not automatically extend to people born in the US in cases where...

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1) When that person’s mother was unlawfully present in the US and the person’s father was not a US citizen or lawful permanent resident at the time of said person’s birth.

2) When that person’s mother’s presence in the US  was lawful but temporary, and the person’s father was not a United States citizen or lawful permanent resident at the time of said person’s birth.

(With inputs from agencies)