US President Donald Trump has intensified his efforts to end birthright citizenship, defending his executive order that seeks to deny automatic citizenship to children born in the United States to undocumented immigrants or those on temporary visas.
However, the policy has encountered immediate legal opposition, with federal judges blocking its enforcement.
For nearly 160 years, the 14th Amendment to the US Constitution has guaranteed citizenship to anyone born on American soil.
Trump, however, argues that this provision was originally intended solely for freed slaves and not for what he described as modern-day "gate crashers."
Taking to his social media platform, Truth Social, on Sunday (16 February), Trump declared, "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 asserted that the Founding Fathers would be "spinning in their graves" at the idea of undocumented immigrants gaining citizenship through birthright. "No nation in the world has anything like this. Our lawyers and judges have to be tough and protect America!" he added.
Trump contends that birthright citizenship is being exploited by undocumented migrants crossing the southern border and insists that a reinterpretation of the 14th Amendment is necessary.
If enforced, his executive order would overturn over a century of legal precedent ensuring citizenship to nearly all individuals born in the US, irrespective of their parent’s immigration status.
Legal setbacks for Trump’s orders
The judiciary’s intervention against Trump’s birthright citizenship order is one of several legal defeats his administration has suffered in recent weeks.
In addition to the immigration policy reversal, federal courts have blocked his administration’s attempts to freeze federal spending and reduce the government workforce through buyout offers.
Multiple lawsuits have been filed challenging the president’s executive actions, highlighting the legal pushback against his policy directives.
Despite the setbacks, Trump remains resolute in his immigration crackdown, vowing to pursue legal avenues to enforce his order and reshape long-standing citizenship laws.
