Trump signs new executive orders targeting "birth tourism"

U.S. President Donald Trump signed two executive orders on August 6 in a renewed effort to restrict birthright citizenship, narrowing the scope of an earlier policy that was struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court.

The move marks the latest step in the administration’s broader immigration crackdown, with the White House focusing on what it describes as "birth tourism"—the practice of pregnant foreign nationals travelling to the United States to give birth so their children acquire U.S. citizenship, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

Trump turned to executive action after the Supreme Court ruled on June 30 that his previous executive order limiting birthright citizenship was unconstitutional. That earlier measure sought to deny citizenship to children born in the United States if neither parent was a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident.

The administration argues the new orders are more narrowly tailored and fall outside the scope of the Supreme Court's ruling by reinterpreting historical exceptions to birthright citizenship and expanding the categories of people whose U.S.-born children would not automatically qualify for citizenship.

Speaking during the signing ceremony in the Oval Office, White House aide Stephen Miller said:

"That practice of birth tourism is, as of the signing of this order, hereby banned."

According to a 2020 analysis by the Centre for Immigration Studies, an organisation that supports lower levels of immigration, between 20,000 and 25,000 mothers travelled to the United States for birth tourism during a one-year period between 2016 and 2017. The United States recorded approximately 3.6 million births in 2025.

The executive orders also seek to limit citizenship rights for children born in the United States to foreign government employees and to individuals classified as alien enemies. They could also affect people born in U.S. territories if Congress passes proposed legislation ending automatic citizenship there.

Legal experts said the new measures are likely to face immediate court challenges, with questions remaining over whether they can withstand constitutional scrutiny following the Supreme Court's earlier ruling. Immigrant advocacy groups argued the administration is attempting to circumvent the court's decision, while the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) said the orders were unlikely to survive legal review.

Trump criticised the Supreme Court's June 30 decision during the Oval Office event.

"Very unfortunate decision," he said, adding that "people are building businesses around" birth tourism.

He continued:

"That's not the way it's supposed to work. It's a disgrace. They're buying their way in, and we're not going to let it happen."

The debate centres on the Citizenship Clause of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which states: "All persons born or naturalised in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside."

By Sabina Mammadli