On Thursday, August 7th, 2026, President Donald Trump signed two executive orders aimed at narrowly restricting birthright citizenship in the United States. These actions follow a recent Supreme Court decision in Trump v. Barbara, which upheld birthright citizenship under the Fourteenth Amendment.

The first executive order identifies specific groups whose children would be ineligible for citizenship at birth. These groups include children born to parents deemed "alien enemies" by the government, foreign government employees, or those who have engaged in commercial transactions to secure birthright citizenship. It also excludes children born in U.S. territories where citizenship is not granted by federal statute, as well as children of persons employed by international organizations with immunity and ambassadors. However, critics note that children of diplomats already do not receive birthright citizenship because their parents are not subject to U.S. jurisdiction.

The second order addresses "birth tourism," where some women travel to the U.S. solely to give birth and secure citizenship for their child. This order delegates authority to the Secretary of State and Secretary of Homeland Security to halt this practice. The U.S. government already has visa denial powers and has prosecuted birth tourism operations, including under the Biden administration.

Despite the White House's claim that these measures will "protect the meaning and value of American citizenship," legal analysts argue the orders combine unconstitutional provisions with what they describe as "performance art," and are unlikely to have significant practical effect.

The Framers of the Fourteenth Amendment extended citizenship to "every free-born person in this land," a principle reaffirmed by the Supreme Court's recent ruling.

Sources