Supreme Court rejects Trump's bid to restrict birthright citizenship |
The U.S. Supreme Court has upheld birthright citizenship, rejecting President Donald Trump's executive order that sought to deny automatic U.S. citizenship to children born in the United States to undocumented immigrants and temporary foreign residents. In a 6-3 ruling, the court held that the 14th Amendment, together with longstanding legal precedent and federal law, guarantees citizenship to nearly everyone born on U.S. soil, with Chief Justice John Roberts writing that the Constitution's promise extends to "every free-born person in this land." The ruling leaves intact lower court decisions blocking the order, which could have affected more than 250,000 children born in the U.S. each year, including those born to undocumented immigrants, temporary visa holders, students, and green card applicants. All children, regardless of immigration status, have the right to a free K-12 public education in the United States, as affirmed in the 1982 Plyler v. Doe ruling. Limiting birthright citizenship could complicate access to education and public services; it could also reduce access to Medicaid-funded school services, make college less affordable, and increase fear among immigrant families, leading to lower school attendance and enrollment.
