Trump Signs Two Shocking Executive Orders

President Trump signed two executive orders Thursday aimed at tightening restrictions related to birthright citizenship, including a renewed effort to limit who qualifies for automatic U.S. citizenship and a crackdown on so-called “birth tourism.”

The move comes weeks after the Supreme Court blocked Trump’s earlier executive order seeking to end automatic birthright citizenship for most children born on U.S. soil, ruling that it conflicted with the 14th Amendment.

“We had a very unfortunate decision in the Supreme Court concerning birthright,” Trump said in the Oval Office. “It was close, but a very, very unfortunate decision. So we’re making adjustments because it’s very unfair.”

One executive order broadens the categories of individuals whose children would not automatically receive U.S. citizenship at birth. The order includes the children of individuals identified as enemy aliens, members of foreign terrorist organizations, diplomats and certain representatives of international organizations.

White House Chief of Staff Stephen Miller said the order is intended to ensure that people who are not legally entitled to birthright citizenship no longer receive those benefits.

The second executive order targets “birth tourism,” the practice of traveling to the United States primarily to give birth so a child receives U.S. citizenship. The administration said it plans to more aggressively deny visas to applicants who conceal that purpose when entering the country.

Trump argued that birthright citizenship has expanded far beyond its original intent.

“What’s happening now are people are building businesses around it; wealthy people are building businesses around birthright citizenship,” Trump said. “That’s not the way it’s supposed to work. It’s a disgrace. They’re buying their way in, and we’re not going to let that happen.”

The president claimed that hundreds of thousands of people exploit birth tourism each year, though available estimates place the number far lower.

The Migration Policy Institute has estimated that as many as 26,000 births annually could be linked to birth tourism, compared with more than 3.5 million births in the United States each year.

Miller said the administration is relying on Section 215(a) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, which governs the entry and departure of noncitizens, to justify the new restrictions.

He argued that individuals who apply for tourist visas while intending to travel to the United States to give birth are committing visa fraud and can lawfully be denied entry.

“If you’re telling a consular officer you’re here as a tourist, but your true purpose and intent is to go to a baby mill, give birth, and try to mint an American citizen while you’re here, then you’re committing a fraud against the American government,” Miller said.

Trump’s previous effort to restrict birthright citizenship was blocked by the Supreme Court, with Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Amy Coney Barrett joining the court’s liberal justices in the majority. Justice Brett Kavanaugh also voted against the administration’s order on statutory grounds.

The latest executive orders are widely expected to face immediate legal challenges.

Trump expressed confidence that the revised approach would survive judicial review, while White House Staff Secretary Will Scharf argued the administration had crafted the orders using legal authorities that remain consistent with the Supreme Court’s recent ruling.

Civil rights groups quickly criticized the new actions, arguing that the Constitution clearly guarantees birthright citizenship and that executive orders cannot override the 14th Amendment.