Trump Calls for Congressional Action on Birthright Citizenship After Supreme Court Ruling

Donald Trump, President of the United States [Photo=AFP·Yonhap News]

Donald Trump, President of the United States, expressed his intention to continue pursuing policies on birthright citizenship through congressional legislation, despite a recent Supreme Court ruling that limited his administrative actions. The Court's decision effectively blocked his executive order aimed at restricting citizenship for children born in the U.S. to non-permanent residents.
On June 30, Trump stated on his social media platform, Truth Social, that the Supreme Court's decision to uphold birthright citizenship was a "great misfortune" for the country. He argued that a lengthy and cumbersome constitutional amendment was unnecessary and urged Congress to take action to end birthright citizenship.
"Congress should start working today to end the costly and unfair birthright citizenship," Trump emphasized, asserting that lawmakers would have his "complete and total support." This statement suggests a strategy to narrow the application of birthright citizenship through changes to immigration and nationality laws, bypassing the need for a constitutional amendment.
Earlier that day, the Supreme Court upheld a lower court's ruling by a 6-3 vote, which blocked Trump's executive order aimed at limiting citizenship based on parental immigration status. The Court ruled that the order violated the 14th Amendment, which guarantees citizenship to all individuals born in the U.S.
On his first day in office last year, Trump signed an executive order that would deny automatic citizenship to children born in the U.S. to undocumented immigrants or temporary residents. This prompted a lawsuit from 22 states and Washington, D.C., led by Democratic governors, which ultimately resulted in the Supreme Court maintaining the existing interpretation of birthright citizenship.
Trump and some Republican lawmakers argue that Congress can legislate to limit the scope of birthright citizenship. Senators Lindsey Graham and Brian Babin have introduced bills to amend immigration and nationality laws to prevent automatic citizenship for children of undocumented immigrants or temporary residents.
However, even if legislation is passed, legal challenges are expected to continue. Birthright citizenship has been interpreted as a constitutional right under the 14th Amendment, raising questions about whether Congress can restrict it through ordinary legislative changes, which could lead to further constitutional lawsuits.

* This article has been translated by AI.

AJP