Birthright citizenship is a constitutional principle grounded in the 14th Amendment, which states that “all persons born or naturalized in the United States” are citizens. Multiple accounts say President Trump signed an executive order in January 2025 aimed at limiting that guarantee for children born in the country to parents who are in the U.S. illegally or only temporarily. The reported policy focus would be on when the child’s parents’ legal status affects citizenship eligibility.
According to CBS reporting, the order could affect a significant number of children each year, with Pew Research Center cited as estimating potential impact on roughly a quarter of a million children annually. The accounts also note that the measure is being challenged in court. The U.S. Supreme Court is currently weighing whether the executive order is lawful, leaving the policy’s eventual effect uncertain pending the Court’s decision.
