Supreme Court rejects Trump bid to restrict birthright citizenship
The U.S. Supreme Court rejected the Trump administration's bid to restrict birthright citizenship, ruling that the Constitution guarantees citizenship to anyone born on U.S. soil regardless of their parents' immigration status. The decision upholds the 14th Amendment's birthright citizenship clause.
Background
- Birthright citizenship is the constitutional guarantee (14th Amendment) that anyone born on U.S. soil is automatically a U.S. citizen — regardless of their parents' immigration status. This has been settled law since 1898 (United States v. Wong Kim Ark).<br>- President Trump tried to end it via executive order in 2025, arguing it should not apply to children of undocumented immigrants or temporary visa holders. Legal challenges quickly blocked it.<br>- The Supreme Court's ruling affirms that changing birthright citizenship requires a constitutional amendment, not a presidential order. This is a major defeat for the Trump administration's immigration agenda.<br>- The decision carries enormous practical weight: the U.S. is one of about 30 countries (mostly in the Americas) with unrestricted birthright citizenship. Ending it would have affected an estimated 1.5 million children over a decade.