Key facts
- Trump allies are planning a long-term campaign to end birthright citizenship.
Allies of Donald Trump are strategizing a long-term campaign to end birthright citizenship in the U.S., likening the effort to the fight to overturn Roe v. Wade. Discussions involve policy options to target 'birth tourism' and narrow eligibility for citizenship for children born on U.S. soil to non-citizens.
This indicates a concerted effort by influential figures within the conservative movement and the Trump orbit to challenge a fundamental aspect of U.S. citizenship law, potentially leading to significant legal and political battles over immigration and national identity.
Allies of Donald Trump are reportedly strategizing a long-term campaign to end birthright citizenship in the United States, drawing parallels to the decades-long effort that led to the overturning of Roe v. Wade.
Discussions among conservative lawyers, former Trump aides, and immigration hawks have focused on making birthright citizenship a central issue for the movement. Mike Davis, founder of the Article III Project, stated at a gathering that the goal is to spend the next 50 years overturning the concept, arguing it undermines national sovereignty.
These discussions have occurred alongside internal White House deliberations on policy options. A particular focus is on individuals who travel to the U.S. with the primary intention of giving birth to secure U.S. citizenship for their child. The Trump administration has already taken steps, issuing two executive orders aimed at narrowing the scope of birthright citizenship and addressing 'birth tourism' schemes.
Stephen Miller, White House deputy chief of staff, explained that these actions are intended to prevent individuals who are wrongly considered eligible from receiving birthright citizenship benefits. For over a century, the prevailing legal understanding, rooted in the 14th Amendment, has been that nearly anyone born in the U.S. is a citizen. However, the Trump administration previously attempted to alter this with an executive order. A Supreme Court ruling in Trump v. Barbara, with a majority including Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Amy Coney Barrett, affirmed that the 14th Amendment guarantees birthright citizenship, though Justice Brett Kavanaugh suggested Congress could legislate on the matter.