Trump Signs Orders to Limit Birthright Citizenship

Friday, 7 August 2026, 7:37 am

Friday, 7 August 2026, 9:09 am

Donald Trump has signed an order to limit automatic US citizenship for babies born in the US.

In short:

US President Donald Trump signed two orders to restrict birthright citizenship in the US after a Supreme Court ruling.

The orders change who can get automatic US citizenship and tell immigration officials not to give visas to people who come to the US just to give birth.

What's next?

Both orders will likely be challenged in court.

Donald Trump signed two orders to limit birthright citizenship, a key part of his immigration crackdown.

Limiting birthright citizenship is a top priority for Trump, who wants to stop 'birth tourism'.

After the Supreme Court rejected his first attempt, Trump called on Congress to act, but he decided to use executive orders instead.

The new orders do not break the Supreme Court ruling and will help stop 'birth tourism'.

The orders say some people are not eligible for automatic citizenship, like those who come to the US just to give birth.

The White House says 'birth tourism' is now banned, and no one can get a visa for this purpose.

The orders also limit citizenship for children of foreign government employees and 'alien enemies' in the US.

They may also affect people born in US territories if Congress passes a law to end automatic citizenship there.

All of Trump's orders and potential laws will be challenged in court.

The US Constitution only allows a few exceptions to birthright citizenship.

Donald Trump said the Supreme Court's decision on birthright citizenship was 'unfortunate'.

He thinks people are taking advantage of the system.

Trump said the current system is 'a disgrace' and that people are 'buying their way in'.

He wants to stop automatic citizenship for people born in the US.

Trump's previous order tried to stop automatic citizenship for children of immigrants in the US illegally.

The US Constitution guarantees citizenship to all babies born in the US, with a few exceptions.

Trump said the Constitution's guarantee of citizenship was meant for a different time.

There are no official numbers on 'birth tourism' in the US.

Some groups estimate that up to 25,000 mothers come to the US for 'birth tourism' each year.

There were 3.6 million births in the US in 2025.

The Supreme Court said the Constitution's promise of citizenship applies to all free-born people in the US.

The Court said citizenship is a fundamental right.

The Constitution says all people born in the US are citizens, except for a few exceptions.

US law does not explicitly ban 'birth tourism', but there are rules against using tourist visas to get citizenship.

People who engage in 'birth tourism' schemes can be prosecuted for fraud.

Reuters

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