The US Supreme Court will be hearing arguments on May 17 about US President Donald Trump’s attempt to limit automatic citizenship for children born in the US. This executive order is part of implementing Trump’s tough immigration policy.
The court did not immediately decide on Trump administration’s request to limit three nationwide court orders that blocked his executive order. These court orders came from federal judges in Washington state, Massachusetts, and Maryland. The justices said they would wait until the case is argued on May 15 before making any decisions.
Trump signed the order on January 20, which was his first day back in the Oval office. The order gives a directive to the federal agencies not to give US citizenship to children born in the country if neither parent is a US citizen or a legal permanent resident.
Several lawsuits have been filed against this order. The plaintiffs include 22 Democratic state attorneys general, immigrant rights groups, and some pregnant women. According to them, the order goes against the 14th Amendment of the US Constitution. The 14th Amendment clearly states: all people “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.”
Trump was willing to hear the Supreme Court’s decision on the case and told reporters that this is going to be an “easy case to win”. A spokesperson for the Justice Department said they are ready to present their case in court.
New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin, one of the officials challenging Trump’s order, said birthright citizenship was added to the Constitution after the Civil War. He said it has been upheld by the Supreme Court for over 100 years and that citizenship should not depend on the actions of one person.
The Biden administration argues that the 14th Amendment has always meant that nearly anyone born in the US is a citizen. But Trump’s team says this does not apply to people who are in the country illegally or those staying temporarily, such as students or workers with visas.
US Solicitor General John Sauer, speaking for the Trump administration, said the birthright citizenship order is based on the original meaning of the Constitution. He argued that automatic citizenship encourages illegal immigration and “birth tourism,” where people come to the US just to give birth so their child becomes a citizen.