President Donald Trump has signed two executive orders aimed at limiting the number of people who can become American citizens through birthright citizenship. The orders come after the Supreme Court rejected his previous attempt to declare that children born to people in the U.S. illegally or temporarily aren’t American citizens.

Restricting Automatic Citizenship

The written executive order focuses on restricting automatic citizenship to specific categories of people, including children born to adults with connections to foreign embassies or organizations, as well as anyone considered an “alien enemy” of the United States. It also aims to restrict birthright citizenship to anyone whose parents “engaged in fraudulent activity to obtain citizenship.”

A second order seeks to curb what Trump called “birth tourism” by increasing restrictions on visitors to the U.S. who want to obtain visas to give birth while in the country. The Migration Policy Institute notes that it’s already considered fraud and grounds to restrict a visa if someone seeks a visa specifically to come to the U.S. and obtain citizenship for a child.

Constitutional Debate

Birthright citizenship has become a key rallying point in the president’s second-term anti-immigration agenda, with the president and supporters arguing it makes the country a magnet for immigration and that American citizenship should be reserved for those who truly value it. However, immigration advocates and many legal experts say that the Constitution is clear in outlining who is considered a citizen, and that restricting who can become a citizen would create a second-class of people in America.

The American Civil Liberties Union predicts that Trump’s second attempt will also be rejected, stating that the Supreme Court already decided the issue and that birthright citizenship is guaranteed by the Constitution.

Original reporting: WTVQ (Lexington) — read the source article.