Trump targets birth tourism and citizenship in new executive orders
Axios · LC · trust 40/100
President Trump signed two executive orders Thursday seeking to narrow birthright citizenship in several circumstances and intensify the federal crackdown on commercial "birth tourism."
Why it matters: It's Trump's second attempt to curb birthright citizenship in the U.S. and is sure to be challenged in court as a violation of the 14th Amendment , which guarantees citizenship to nearly everyone born in America.
Zoom in: Trump's administration argues that the ruling still grants him the authority to limit birthright citizenship under long-standing exceptions recognized by the court. The executive orders apply only to future births tied to four categories:
Between the lines: The administration argues that creating this birth-tourism exception is permitted because of parents' fraudulent misrepresentation in gaining access to the U.S., typically as tourists or workers.
A second executive order directs the secretary of state and the Department of Homeland Security secretary to issue rules and guidance to stop birth tourism and target the industry at home and abroad.
The intrigue: The House Oversight Committee is investigating birth tourism centers and in May requested a host of documents from a company called "Have My Baby in Miami."
By the numbers : Estimates about the number of children who've been the result of birth tourism range from the low thousands to the tens of thousands.
What they're saying: Trump has focused heavily on birth tourism as part of his so-far unsuccessful push to limit birthright citizenship more broadly.
This story has been updated to reflect Trump signing the executive orders.
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