US Supreme Court rejects Trump's order of limiting birthright citizenship

The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected U.S. President Donald Trump's executive order denying birthright citizenship to children of undocumented immigrants or temporary residents, upholding birthright citizenship, reported Xinhua.

"Citizenship, then and now, was the right to have rights -- to freely participate in our political community. The Framers of the Fourteenth Amendment extended that promise to 'every free-born person in this land' ... We keep that promise today," according to the opinion, delivered by Chief Justice John Roberts.

The vote was 6-3, with three conservative justices joining the three liberal justices to form the majority.

The Fourteenth Amendment, ratified in 1868, was a response to issues affecting freed slaves following the U.S. Civil War, and was intended to ensure that Black people, including former slaves, had citizenship.

"All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside," it reads.

The birthright citizenship executive order was signed by Trump on Jan. 20, 2025 -- the inauguration day of his second term.

The executive order declares children born of persons unlawfully or temporarily present in the United States are not "subject to the jurisdiction" of the United States, and thus do not qualify for citizenship under the Fourteenth Amendment or the Immigration and Nationality Act.

Several parents filed suit, some on their own behalf, and others on behalf of their children. Multiple lower courts had ruled in favor of the plaintiffs, and the executive order never took effect.

Trump said in a Truth Social post on Tuesday that the highest court's decision is "too bad for our country."

He went on to say that "we can easily make it up in Congress through Legislation ... Congress should start TODAY to work on ending expensive and unfair to our Country, Birthright Citizenship."