Trump ‘abolishes’ birthright citizenship: who will it affect? | News about Donald Trump

Shortly after being sworn in as the 47th president of the United States, Donald Trump signed a slew of executive orders, including a move to end citizenship by birth as part of its hardline anti-immigration agenda.

Birthright citizenship refers to a constitutionally protected right that automatically grants US citizenship to babies born in the country.

The policy has been in place for decades and is enshrined in the 14th Amendment to the US Constitution, which grants citizenship to people who are “born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside.”

But Trump has argued that the amendment does not include people whose families are not US citizens.

Here’s what we know about Trump’s order and how many people will be affected:

What does the command say?

Monday’s provision sets out the parameters under which a person can claim a birthright.

It states that if one parent was “unlawfully present in the United States” and the other was not a citizen or “lawful permanent resident at the time of that person’s birth,” the child cannot claim birthright.

It added that if a parent’s presence in the country was “lawful but temporary” through a tourist, student or work visa and the other parent was not a US citizen, birth citizenship would not be transferred to the child.

The order takes effect on February 19.

What is citizenship by birth?

After the US Civil War, Congress ratified the 14th Amendment in July 1868, which stated that all people born in the country are citizens. It was aimed at establishing full civil rights for black Americans who had suffered under slavery.

But the amendment has been interpreted to include all children born in the US regardless of their parents’ immigration status.

One of the most critical cases in the history of birthright citizenship occurred in 1898 when the Supreme Court ruled that Wong Kim Ark, born to a family of Chinese immigrants, was an American citizen because he was born in San Francisco.

The Supreme Court ruled after the federal government tried to deny him re-entry into the country after traveling abroad under China’s Exclusion Act.

In 1924, Congress granted citizenship to all Native Americans born in the United States.

“That’s ridiculous. We’re the only country in the world that does that,” Trump said Monday after signing the order.

According to the World Population Survey, at least 33 countries have birthright citizenship in 2024, mostly in North America and Latin America, including Mexico.

How many children of immigrants have earned their birthright?

According to the Pew Research Center, in 2022, 1.3 million US-born adults living with their parents were born to undocumented immigrants.

Does the exclusion include H1-B work visa holders?

Yes, the professional professional visa falls under the work visa umbrella and US-born children of H1-B visa holders would not be able to claim citizenship at birth.

In 2023, 72 percent of H1-B visas, which have themselves been criticized recently, were granted to Indian nationals, according to the US Citizenship and Immigration Services.

Trump’s Make America Great Again (MAGA) base has called for an end to H1-B visas, which big tech companies have used to hire skilled workers from overseas. Trump’s close ally, Elon Musk, has faced backlash from the MAGA camp, which accuses big tech companies of using the controversial visa program to hire cheaper foreign workers at the expense of American workers.

Trump, who tried to ban the visa program during his first term, threw himself into Musk’s side, saying, “It’s a great program.”

“I also like very competent people coming to our country, even if it involves training and helping other people who may not have the qualifications that they have,” he said.

However, on Tuesday, the US State Department said Secretary of State Marco Rubio had discussed “irregular migration” with his Indian counterpart, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar. Earlier this month, a spokesperson for India’s Ministry of External Affairs said the visa program benefits both countries.

At 725,000 people, Native Americans made up the third largest population of unauthorized immigrants in the US, according to a 2022 report by the Pew Research Center.

Bloomberg reported on Tuesday that the Indian government has told the Trump administration that it will work with the US to identify and return the citizens to the country.

But the issue will test the strong bilateral ties between the two countries and is likely to sway public opinion in India, where Trump is looked upon favorably because of his friendly relationship with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Was there a reaction after the order?

Trump’s order was met with pushback. Chief state attorneys from 22 US states filed lawsuits Tuesday against Trump’s move to ban birthright citizenship.

Democratic-led state officials have argued that birthrights are enshrined in the Constitution and cannot be changed.

“The president can’t wipe out the 14th amendment with the stroke of a pen, period,” New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin told The Associated Press.

Connecticut Attorney General William Tong, a natural-born American citizen and the first Chinese American attorney general, said the lawsuit is personal.

“14. the amendment says what it means, and it means what it says – if you were born on American soil, you are an American. Period. Period – he said.

“There is no legitimate legal debate on this issue. But the fact that Trump is completely wrong will not stop him from causing serious harm to American families like mine right now,” he added.

Critics of the birthright program say it encourages immigrants to come to the US to become citizens.

Republican House Science and Technology Committee Chairman Brian Babin, who will introduce the birthright bill to Congress this week, according to Fox News, said in a statement that the bill “corrects decades of abuse.”

“Citizenship is one of our nation’s most precious privileges. By introducing this bill, we are taking an important step in restoring integrity to our immigration system and prioritizing the interests of American citizens,” said Babin.

White House Deputy Secretary Harrison Fields also said Washington was ready to face the states in court.

“Radical leftists can choose to swim against the tide and reject the overwhelming will of the people, or they can join and work with President Trump,” Fields said.

So far, New Jersey and those two cities, as well as California, Massachusetts, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Rhode Island, Vermont and Wisconsin have joined the action to stop the order.

Arizona, Illinois, Oregon and Washington also filed a separate lawsuit in federal court challenging Trump’s order.