The U.S. Supreme Court is considering the legality of an executive order from President Donald Trump that would restrict birthright citizenship.
The order would deny U.S. citizenship to children born in the United States to mothers who are unauthorized immigrants or have legal temporary status at the time of the child’s birth if the father is not a citizen or lawful permanent resident.
Birthright citizenship derives from the U.S. Constitution’s 14th Amendment and grants citizenship to anyone born in the country. Legal experts have long interpreted the provision to apply to children born in the U.S. regardless of the immigration status of their parents.
It’s difficult to say how many people this order would affect if the Supreme Court upholds it. It would not apply retroactively, so children already born would not lose their U.S. citizenship.
