Washington — On Thursday, August 7th, 2026, President Trump signed two executive orders in a renewed effort to restrict birthright citizenship for certain children born in the United States. This move follows the Supreme Court's decision in June to strike down his earlier executive order targeting birthright citizenship.

One of the new orders specifically targets individuals involved in commercial "birth tourism," seeking to deny them entry into the country. White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller described birth tourism as a practice where people enter the U.S. under the guise of tourism—citing visits to places like Disneyland or national parks—but with the primary intent to give birth and secure automatic citizenship for their child. Miller stated, "This has been something that people have talked about, not only for years, but for decades."

The other executive order broadens the categories of individuals deemed ineligible for birthright citizenship, including children of foreign citizens who lobby on behalf of foreign governments. The order lists several groups who should not receive citizenship documents, such as children born to mothers present in the U.S. through commercial transactions arranged for birth purposes.

President Trump commented on the Supreme Court ruling, calling it "a very unfortunate decision" and noted that adjustments are being made in response.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) responded critically. Cody Wofsy, deputy director of the ACLU's Immigrants' Rights Project, said in a statement, "Any executive order that tries to rewrite birthright citizenship will meet the same fate as the last one."

During related legal discussions, Chief Justice John Roberts told U.S. Solicitor General John Sauer that birth tourism "has no impact on the legal analysis before us." Sauer acknowledged that such tourism highlights negative effects stemming from the current interpretation of the Citizenship Clause, remarking, "We're in a new world now … where 8 billion people are one plane ride away from having a child who is a U.S. citizen."

These developments underscore ongoing debates over the scope of birthright citizenship in the United States.

Sources

CBS Politics: Trump issues new executive orders aimed at birthright citizenship after Supreme Court ruling