Donald Trump has renewed efforts to restrict birthright citizenship in the United States, weeks after the Supreme Court rejected his previous attempt to end the policy. On Thursday, August 7th, 2026, the president signed two executive orders. One order broadens the categories of non-citizens whose children are not eligible for automatic US citizenship, while the other bans birth tourism — the practice of pregnant women traveling to the US to give birth so their babies gain citizenship.

Speaking from the Oval Office, Trump criticized the Supreme Court's decision, stating, "This should have happened years ago, but we're taking care of it now."

The first executive order prohibits automatic citizenship for babies born in the US to two non-citizen parents if one parent is a member of a foreign terrorist group, a foreign government employee, has attempted to gain citizenship fraudulently, or resides in US territories where citizenship is not granted by federal law. Trump’s administration described the move as a safeguard against "malign foreign actors who attempt to swindle American citizens by taking advantage of the generosity of our Nation."

The Migration Policy Institute, a nonpartisan research organization, estimates that between 22,000 and 26,000 babies are born annually in the US through birth tourism.

Stephen Miller, homeland security advisor and White House deputy chief of staff for policy, explained that the president has the authority to ban birth tourism under the Immigration and Nationality Act, which allows setting exceptions on who may enter the country. However, Miller acknowledged that once a child is born in the US, the president does not have the power to revoke that child's citizenship — a point settled by the Supreme Court in the administration's recent legal defeat.

Sources