President Donald Trump signed two executive orders on Thursday, Aug. 6, 2026, to limit birthright citizenship and curb birth tourism in the U.S. [1].
These measures represent a significant shift in federal immigration policy by targeting the legal status of children born on U.S. soil to non-citizen parents. The administration is attempting to redefine how citizenship is granted at birth, a move that challenges long-standing interpretations of the 14th Amendment.
The administration said it wants to reduce the number of people born in the U.S. who obtain citizenship [1]. By targeting the practice of birth tourism, the government aims to discourage foreign nationals from traveling to the U.S. specifically to give birth so their children can acquire citizenship [2].
The president signed two orders [1] to implement these changes. These directives target both the systemic application of birthright citizenship and the specific logistics of birth tourism, the process where individuals enter the country on temporary visas with the intent of delivering a child to secure a legal pathway for that child.
Government officials said the orders are intended to protect the integrity of the U.S. citizenship process [2]. The administration believes that current practices allow individuals to bypass standard immigration laws through birth tourism.
Critics of the move argue that the orders may conflict with constitutional law. However, the administration continues to move forward with these measures to limit the number of individuals gaining citizenship through birth in the U.S. [1].
“President Donald Trump signed two executive orders to limit birthright citizenship.”
These executive orders set up a direct legal confrontation between the executive branch and the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which has historically guaranteed citizenship to nearly all persons born in the U.S. If these orders are upheld in court, it would fundamentally alter the legal definition of citizenship and potentially create a new class of undocumented persons born within the country.
