President Donald Trump has made comments regarding the Supreme Court’s ongoing consideration of the birthright citizenship case, stating that the 1868 constitutional amendment was originally intended to provide protections for the descendants of slaves, rather than for illegal immigrants. In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump criticized the current practice, calling it a ‘dysfunction of America’ and blaming it for the ability of illegal immigrants to gain citizenship through birth.
He emphasized that the law was not meant for individuals taking vacations to become permanent citizens, and he accused the United States of being the only country in the world with such a provision. Trump’s comments come as the Supreme Court deliberates on the legality of presidential efforts to end birthright citizenship. The case has emerged from disputes over Trump’s attempt to terminate the 19th century law, which provides automatic citizenship to those born in the United States.
While the case being heard in the Supreme Court resulted from disputes against the president’s effort to end birthright citizenship, the issue of whether it is permissible for lower courts to permanently block Trump’s executive actions will hinge on the justices’ decision. Through universal injunctions, lower federal courts can bar authorities from enforcing a Trump executive order.
The birthright citizenship case has been set in motion after Trump signed a Day One executive order ending the 19th century law, which is meant to go into effect Feb. 19. However, shortly after the order was signed, legal challenges ensued and Democrat-appointed federal judges began blocking the president’s action. Meanwhile, appeals of those decisions from the Trump administration failed before the Supreme Court decided to take up the case. It is unclear when the high court’s justices’ final ruling on the birthright citizenship case will come out. It could take weeks, or it could take just several hours if they decide to issue an emergency ruling right away.