Donald Trump has renewed efforts to restrict birthright citizenship in the United States by signing two executive orders on Thursday, August 7th, 2026. This move comes weeks after the Supreme Court rejected his earlier attempt to eliminate the 150-year-old policy granting automatic citizenship to anyone born on US soil.

One executive order expands the definition of non-citizens whose children are not eligible for birthright citizenship. It specifically excludes 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 federally conferred.

The second order bans birth tourism, the practice of pregnant women traveling to the US to give birth so their children automatically receive citizenship. 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 can enter the country. However, Miller acknowledged that once a child is born in the US, the president cannot revoke that child's citizenship, a point settled by the Supreme Court's recent ruling against the administration.

Trump criticized the Supreme Court's decision, stating from the Oval Office, "This should have happened years ago, but we're taking care of it now." He also emphasized that his administration is protecting 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 group, estimates that between 22,000 and 26,000 babies are born annually in the US through birth tourism.

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