Trump will try to end birthright citizenship with sweeping day 1 executive order
Share:
Trump has long pledged to end birthright citizenship, which has been in place for over a century. Incoming President Donald Trump will end birthright citizenship for children of undocumented immigrants who entered the country without legal permission on his first day in office, his incoming officials said.
![[President Joe Biden greets Donald Trump ahead of his swearing-in ceremony]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/01/20/15/SEI236683120.jpg)
It is one of 10 executive orders that Trump will sign on Monday as part of his anti-immigration agenda. Trump has long pledged to end birthright citizenship, which means anyone born in the U.S. — including the children of undocumented immigrants, tourists, and students in the country on short-term visas — is automatically a citizen.
It has been in place for over a century. “On a prospective basis, the federal government will not recognize automatic birthright citizenship for children of illegal aliens born in the United States,” an incoming White House official told reporters on Monday.
The 14th Amendment to the Constitution, which was ratified in 1868, guarantees birthright 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 states.
Both legal and political leaders have previously poured cold water on Trump’s pledge, with former Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan saying: “You cannot end birthright citizenship with an executive order.”. The “14th Amendment is pretty clear, and that would involve a very, very lengthy constitutional process,” he added.
