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Donald Trump claims birthright citizenship was for slaves’ children, not immigrants. His executive order to restrict it was blocked.
US President Donald Trump (AP Image)
As US President Donald Trump has vowed to crack down on illegal immigration, through mass deportation, he has claimed that the birthright citizenship was originally meant for the children of slaves and not for the rest of the world “to come in and pile into America”.
On the very first day after assuming Presidency, Donald Trump had signed an executive order in an attempt to curb the influx of immigrants into the US. This new order also restricts the immigrants’ children, who are born in America, from getting the automatic citizenship.
It Was Not For World To Pile Into The US: Trump On Birthright Citizenship
Speaking to reporters at Oval Office, Trump said, “Birthright citizenship was, if you look back when this was passed and made, that was meant for the children of slaves. This was not meant for the whole world to come in and pile into the United States of America.”
Notably, the significant immigration-related order by Trump was temporarily blocked by a federal court in Seattle the following day.
However, the Republican leader exuded confidence in getting the Supreme Court ruling in his favour as he seeks to appeal a federal court’s decision to strike down his executive order against birthright citizenship.
Despite the blow, he remains committed to his belief that his policy coincides with the original intent of the 14th Amendment, which he deemed as a “very good and noble” measure to protect former slaves.
“I just think that we’ll end up winning that in the Supreme Court. I think we’re going to win that case. I look forward to winning it,” Trump said, adding that the US is one of the only countries in the world with unrestricted birthright citizenship.
Legislative Push To Redefine Birthright Citizenship Criteria
Further, a group of Republican senators, including Lindsey Graham, Ted Cruz, and Katie Britt, have introduced a bill in the US Senate to restrict birthright citizenship. The proposed Birthright Citizenship Act of 2025 aims to limit automatic citizenship to those children whose at least one parent is a US citizen, a lawful permanent resident, or a member of the US armed forces.
According to the bill’s sponsors, the current policy is a significant factor behind immigrant’s influx and a potential risk to national security.
The Times of India, citing the Center for Immigration Studies, reported that between 225,000 and 250,000 babies were born to undocumented immigrants in 2023, representing about seven per cent of all births in the US.
If enacted, the legislation would redefine the eligibility criteria to avail birthright citizenship. Also, the proposed legislation will only be applied to children born after its implementation date, marking a significant shift in US immigration policy.
- Location :
Washington D.C., United States of America (USA)
