The Supreme Court has dealt a significant blow to President Trump's immigration agenda, rejecting his bid to restrict birthright citizenship for children born in the United States to parents who are in the country illegally or temporarily.
This long-standing constitutional interpretation, established through the 14th Amendment, states that most children born in the US are automatically U.S. citizens. The ruling preserves this fundamental right, protecting thousands of families from potential deportation.
Trump's executive order, issued on his first day in office, aimed to eliminate birthright citizenship for children born to parents who are unlawfully present in the country. This move was met with widespread opposition, prompting multiple lawsuits, including a nationwide class-action lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) on behalf of affected families.
The lawsuit, led by a Honduran woman identified as "Barbara" to protect her identity, challenged the order as unconstitutional, arguing it violated the 14th Amendment's guarantee of birthright citizenship. The Supreme Court's decision is a major setback for Trump, who had made curbing birthright citizenship a key part of his immigration agenda.
