Trump Signs Executive Orders Narrowing Birthright Citizenship and Targeting Birth Tourism

President Donald Trump signed two executive orders on Thursday aimed at limiting automatic U.S. citizenship for certain children born on American soil and cracking down on the practice of birth tourism, marking a narrower approach following a recent Supreme Court ruling that blocked a broader effort.

The first order, titled “Continuing to Protect the Meaning and Value of American Citizenship,” directs federal departments and agencies not to issue documents recognizing United States citizenship, or to accept such documents from state or local authorities, for persons born in the United States when neither parent is a citizen and specific conditions apply. Those categories include children of alien enemies of the United States—defined to encompass members of designated foreign terrorist organizations and specially designated global terrorists—children of foreign government employees such as embassy and consular staff or employees of international organizations holding immunity, and children whose parents engage in commercial transactions to ensure the mother is present in the United States or its territories for the purpose of giving birth, including certain surrogacy arrangements. The order also addresses children born in U.S. territories in cases where federal statute does not confer citizenship.

The second order, “Ending Birth Tourism,” delegates presidential authority under the Immigration and Nationality Act to the Secretaries of State and Homeland Security. It directs them to issue rules and guidance to deny visas, revoke travel authorizations, bar entry, and remove foreign nationals who travel to the United States primarily for the purpose of giving birth in order to obtain citizenship for the child. The order defines birth tourism and includes provisions for humanitarian exemptions or cases determined to be in the national interest.

Trump signed the orders in the Oval Office, stating, “We had a very unfortunate decision in the Supreme Court concerning birthright. It was close, but a very, very unfortunate decision. So we’re making adjustments because it’s very unfair.” The actions come roughly five weeks after the Supreme Court’s June 30, 2026, decision in Trump v. Barbara, which struck down an earlier executive order that sought to withhold citizenship from children born in the United States to parents who were not citizens or lawful permanent residents. The Court held that the Citizenship Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment extends the privilege of citizenship to children born to parents in the United States “for whom no extraterritorial fiction applies.”

White House officials framed the new directives as consistent with historical exceptions to birthright citizenship recognized in the Supreme Court ruling and as a response to what they describe as abuses of the system. Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller said the practice of birth tourism constitutes fraud against the government when individuals enter on tourist or other nonimmigrant visas with the primary intent of giving birth. The administration has long argued that unrestricted birthright citizenship incentivizes illegal immigration and commercial schemes that dilute the value of American citizenship.

U.S. law already prohibits the issuance of visas for the primary purpose of obtaining citizenship for a child through birth in the United States. The new order strengthens enforcement mechanisms and expands the scope of categories under which federal agencies will withhold recognition of citizenship at birth. The orders apply prospectively to future births falling within the specified categories and do not affect children with at least one citizen parent.

The measures are expected to face legal challenges, as immigration advocates and constitutional scholars have previously contested executive attempts to reinterpret the Fourteenth Amendment’s Citizenship Clause. Supporters of the orders contend they target clear exceptions involving foreign allegiance, diplomatic status, and fraudulent entry rather than seeking to abolish birthright citizenship wholesale. Implementation will depend on rules and guidance issued by the State Department and Department of Homeland Security in the coming weeks and months.

The signing continues the Trump administration’s focus on immigration enforcement and the meaning of American citizenship, building on earlier executive actions while adapting to the boundaries set by the Supreme Court.