US Supreme Court to weigh Trump bid to limit birthright citizenship
The Trump admin has argued that the provision doesn’t apply to the babies of immigrants who are in the country illegally or temporarily
The US Supreme Court agreed on Friday to decide the legality of US President Donald Trump’s directive to restrict birthright citizenship in the United States, a contentious part of his efforts to curb immigration and a step that would alter how a 19th-century constitutional provision has long been understood.
The justices took up a Justice Department appeal of a lower court’s ruling that blocked Trump’s executive order telling US agencies not to recognise the citizenship of children born in the US if neither parent is an American citizen or legal permanent resident, also called a “green card” holder.
The lower court ruled that Trump’s policy violated the US Constitution’s 14th Amendment and a federal law codifying birthright citizenship rights in a class-action lawsuit by parents and children whose citizenship is threatened by the directive.
The justices are expected to hear arguments during their current term and issue a ruling by the end of June. They did not set a date for the arguments.
The Republican president signed the order on his first day back in office on January 20 as part of a suite of initiatives he has pursued during his second term as president to crack down on legal and illegal immigration.
Trump’s policies towards immigration have been among the most contentious aspects of both his terms as president, with critics accusing him of racial and religious discrimination in his approach.