President Donald Trump (R-FL) called for the U.S. Supreme Court to limit or overturn birthright citizenship in statements made from the Oval Office [1].
The move targets a long-standing legal doctrine that grants citizenship to all children born on U.S. soil. If the court restricts this right, it would fundamentally alter the legal status of millions of immigrants and their children, potentially shifting the demographic and political landscape of the country.
Trump described the current policy as a "shame" and said that birthright citizenship encourages illegal immigration [1]. He said that maintaining the policy would result in an "unsustainable" fiscal burden for the United States [2].
During his remarks in March 2026, the president called for the support of the judiciary. "I ask for loyalty from the conservative judges and defend my order to restrict birthright citizenship," Trump said [3].
The issue has moved to the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., with a hearing scheduled for April 2026 [1, 2]. While some reports indicate the court may be skeptical of the request to reduce these rights [2], other accounts said the court is simply addressing the case and will hear the president's arguments before reaching a decision [2].
Trump said that the cost of the current system is too high for the nation to bear. "It would be a shame if the Supreme Court allowed that to happen," Trump said regarding the continuation of the practice [1].
“"Mantener la ciudadanía por nacimiento tendría un costo insostenible para EE.UU."”
This challenge represents a direct effort to reinterpret the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. By framing birthright citizenship as a fiscal liability and a magnet for illegal immigration, the administration is attempting to move the legal standard from a broad interpretation of 'jurisdiction' to one that requires a legal connection between the parents and the U.S. government.
