Trump signs executive orders targeting birthright citizenship
President Trump signed executive orders targeting birthright citizenship for children of visa holders, a move that could affect immigration policy.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
President Trump has signed two executive orders aimed at denying citizenship to some children born in the United States, in a new attempt to restrict birthright citizenship. The orders come weeks after the Supreme Court rejected a previous executive order on the same subject as unconstitutional.
The new orders target what the president calls "birthright tourism", where parents come to the US on tourist visas with the express purpose of giving birth so their children gain American citizenship. The orders also expand the categories of people whose children would be ineligible for automatic citizenship, and threaten the citizenship of those born in US territories such as Puerto Rico, but only if Congress changes the law.
Speaking in the Oval Office, Mr Trump claimed that hundreds of thousands of people come to the US every year for this purpose, and that companies exist to facilitate it. However, the Migration Policy Institute says such births are rare, and the administration's own lawyer previously told the Supreme Court that there were no statistics on how often this happens.
Legal experts say the new orders are likely to be challenged in court, and may face the same fate as the earlier attempt. The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that birthright citizenship is protected by the 14th Amendment, and that the president cannot override it by executive order. Some analysts describe the new orders as a messaging exercise rather than a legally binding change.
The orders are part of Mr Trump's broader immigration crackdown, which has been a central theme of his presidency. It remains unclear whether the courts will allow them to stand.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, mapped by channel. Ordered by how many channels carried each claim.
| Claim | BBC News | BBC One |
|---|---|---|
| A previous executive order on birthright citizenship was rejected by the Supreme Court as unconstitutional in June. | ||
| President Trump signed two executive orders aimed at denying citizenship to some children born in the US. | ||
| Births from birthright tourism are rare, according to the Migration Policy Institute. | · | |
| Capital One closed hundreds of Donald Trump accounts in 2021, citing money laundering concerns. | · | |
| The administration's lawyer said they had no statistics on how often birthright tourism happens. | · | |
| The executive order also threatens US citizenship for those born in US territories. | · | |
| The executive orders are more of a messaging piece than legally binding. | · | |
| The new order is likely to be challenged in court, possibly up to the Supreme Court. | · | |
| Trump claimed the closures were politically motivated after the January 6 attacks. | · |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
The channel focused on the legal battle, highlighting that the new order is a different route to achieve the same result after the Supreme Court struck down the previous attempt. It stressed that the order is likely to be challenged and may not succeed.
- “he's trying to use a different method to achieve some of the same result”
- “this is bound to be challenged in court itself, possibly all the way up to the Supreme Court.”
- “President Trump says that hundreds of thousands of people come to the United States every year claiming that they're coming on holiday but really with the express purpose of giving birth to children who would then be able to obtain American citizenship.”
The channel emphasised the rarity of such births and the lack of evidence, quoting the Migration Policy Institute and the administration's own lawyer. It also noted the potential impact on US territories.
- “Such births are rare according to the Migration Policy Institute.”
- “the administration's lawyer, when arguing the Supreme Court case a few months ago, said that they had no statistics on how often this happens.”
- “It's clearly trying to use a different law, a different route, to achieve some of what Donald Trump wanted to get to with the original birthright citizenship ruling.”
The channel provided expert analysis, describing the orders as a messaging piece rather than a legally binding change. It highlighted the Supreme Court's 6-3 ruling and the difficulty of altering birthright citizenship without a constitutional amendment.
- “at first blush this starts to look a lot like more of a messaging piece than anything sort of legalistically binding.”
- “the Supreme Court decision from just earlier this summer, and it seems like it's going to be difficult for the administration to ignore that.”
- “this is incredibly rare.”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.