‘Babies of slaves’: Donald Trump says birthright citizenship is being 'misused'

In a post on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump said the policy was being misused by people from abroad seeking US citizenship for their children.

He claimed that the principle, rooted in post-Civil War legislation, was never meant to apply broadly to all foreign nationals.

His remarks come ahead of a key hearing at the Supreme Court of the United States, which is scheduled to hear arguments on April 1 in a case challenging his administration’s executive order restricting birthright citizenship.

Birthright citizenship in the United States is based on the Fourteenth Amendment, ratified in 1868 following the American Civil War.

The amendment guarantees citizenship to all persons born or naturalised in the country and was designed in part to grant rights to formerly enslaved people, overturning the Dred Scott decision.

On his first day in office in January 2025, Trump signed an executive order seeking to end automatic citizenship for children born in the United States to parents who are either in the country illegally or on temporary visas.

The administration has argued that such individuals are not fully “subject to the jurisdiction” of the United States, a key phrase in the amendment.

The order, which was not retroactive, was set to take effect in February 2025 but has since faced legal challenges, setting the stage for the upcoming Supreme Court review.

The issue of birthright citizenship remains highly contentious, with supporters viewing it as a fundamental constitutional guarantee and critics arguing it is being exploited under current immigration patterns.