US President Donald Trump has signed two executive orders aimed at restricting birthright citizenship and cracking down on so-called birth tourism in the United States.
Trump signed the orders on Thursday, August 6, after the US Supreme Court ruled in June that his previous attempt to restrict birthright citizenship could not stand.
One of the new orders seeks to expand the categories of children born in the US who would not automatically qualify for citizenship when both parents are non-citizens.
The order specifically targets situations where one of the parents is allegedly a member of a foreign terrorist organisation, an employee of a foreign government, has attempted to obtain US citizenship through fraudulent means, or resides in certain US territories where citizenship is not automatically granted under federal law.
The second executive order targets birth tourism, a practice in which foreign nationals travel to the US while pregnant with the intention of giving birth there so their children can obtain US citizenship.
Speaking from the Oval Office, Trump defended the move and criticised the Supreme Court's earlier ruling against his administration's efforts.
“This should have happened years ago, but we're taking care of it now,” Trump said.
The president and members of his administration have repeatedly criticised birth tourism, arguing that foreign nationals could exploit US immigration and citizenship laws.
However, available estimates suggest the practice is considerably smaller than the figures cited by Trump. The Migration Policy Institute has estimated that between 22,000 and 26,000 babies are born in the US each year through birth tourism.
Government data cited by the institute recorded approximately 9,600 births in 2024 to mothers whose addresses were outside the United States.
White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy Stephen Miller also defended the orders, arguing that some foreign nationals enter the country under the guise of tourism but intend to give birth in the US so their children can obtain citizenship.
The latest action follows Trump's executive order in 2025 seeking to end birthright citizenship, a policy rooted in the 14th Amendment to the US Constitution.
That move triggered a major legal battle, eventually reaching the Supreme Court, which ruled in June that the administration's policy could not take effect.
Trump criticised the ruling as unfair but said his administration was now pursuing another approach to its immigration objectives.
The latest executive orders are expected to face further legal challenges as immigration advocates and opponents of the policy question whether the president has the constitutional authority to restrict birthright citizenship through executive action.
