Trump signs executive orders targeting birthright citizenship

What This is

• Earlier this year, the Supreme Court rejected Trump’s executive order that tried to deny automatic U.S. citizenship to some children born in the United States.
• Trump then signed two new executive orders that aim to narrow automatic citizenship at birth by expanding exceptions for groups like “alien enemies,” members of foreign terrorist groups, and some people acting for foreign governments.
• One of the new orders directs federal agencies to curb “birth tourism,” including denying visas to people believed to be traveling to the U.S. mainly to give birth and targeting organizers of such trips.
• In Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott ordered state agencies to investigate alleged “birth tourism” and to pursue penalties against people and health providers who help arrange it.
• Republicans in Congress have also moved to scrutinize birth tourism, including subpoenas from a House Oversight task force to firms that market such services.
• Public approval of the Supreme Court hit a record low in a new Gallup poll, with Gallup linking part of the drop to recent rulings seen as unfavorable to Trump, including birthright citizenship.

Why This Matters

• It affects who is treated as a citizen at birth, shaping identity, rights, and belonging for many families.
• It forces a new test of how far a president can go, through executive orders, in an area long tied to the Constitution and court rulings.
• It can change how visas and fraud investigations are used at the border and in consulates, even without changing the core rule of birthright citizenship.
• It fuels mistrust of the Supreme Court and sharpens partisan fights over whether the court is acting independently.