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US Supreme Court strikes down Trump birthright citizenship order

Court preserves automatic US citizenship for children born to undocumented immigrants and temporary visa holders

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Demonstrators rally in support of birthright citizenship outside the US Supreme Court in Washington on April 1. Photo: AFP
Lucy Quagginin New York

In a historic ruling, the US Supreme Court on Tuesday struck down a Trump administration executive order targeting birthright citizenship, preserving a defining principle of what it means to be born an American.

The court ruled 6-3 in Trump v. Barbara, holding that children born in the United States to undocumented parents or parents on temporary visas are entitled to US citizenship.

Almost three hours after the decision, US President Donald Trump aimed at China in a social media post, which proponents of his executive order had accused of so-called birth tourism in the US in the lead-up to the Supreme Court ruling.

“I would like to congratulate President Xi, and the Great Country of China, on their massive Birthright Citizenship WIN! President DONALD J. TRUMP,” Trump wrote.

Restricting birthright citizenship has been a cornerstone of Trump’s second-term agenda, which saw him sign an executive order in early 2025 to end citizenship for children of undocumented parents or temporary visa holders. The policy was scheduled to take effect the following month, but was repeatedly blocked in federal courts before it headed to the Supreme Court.
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In another social media post, Trump called the Supreme Court’s decision “too bad” for the country, while claiming “we can easily make it up in Congress through Legislation” and that “no long and unwieldy Constitutional Amendment is necessary”.

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