US President Donald Trump has made a fresh attempt to restrict birthright citizenship by signing two executive orders designed to tighten eligibility for automatic citizenship and crack down on what his administration describes as "birth tourism."
The orders, signed on Thursday, come weeks after the US Supreme Court struck down a previous executive action seeking to limit birthright citizenship, ruling that the US Constitution protects the right of children born in the country to become American citizens.
Under the new measures, the Trump administration has expanded the categories of non-citizens whose children would not qualify for birthright citizenship. The order covers additional groups of foreign nationals, including diplomats and employees of international organisations.
The administration also indicated that the directive could extend to people born in US territories if Congress approves legislation to end automatic citizenship in those jurisdictions. Birthright citizenship in territories such as Puerto Rico is currently guaranteed by federal law.
A second executive order is aimed at eliminating "birth tourism," a practice in which pregnant foreign nationals travel to the United States on temporary visas to give birth so their children acquire American citizenship.
According to the White House, the order also targets individuals who assist or facilitate the entry of foreign nationals into the country for that purpose.
The directive authorises the Secretary of State to take enforcement actions, including imposing permanent entry bans on foreigners found to have engaged in or facilitated birth tourism.
Speaking after signing the orders, Trump said the measures were long overdue.
"This should have happened years ago, but we're taking care of it now," the President said.
The latest executive actions follow a major legal setback for the administration on June 30, when the US Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that birthright citizenship is guaranteed under the Constitution, including for children born to undocumented immigrants and parents legally residing in the country on a temporary basis.
Trump criticised the ruling, describing it as "a very unfortunate decision," and also lashed out at the justices he appointed who joined the majority against his earlier executive order.
Legal experts expect the new directives to face immediate court challenges, with opponents arguing that the President cannot alter constitutional guarantees through executive action and that any changes to birthright citizenship would require constitutional or legislative action.
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