President Trump Issues New Orders on Citizenship Status

Why it matters locally: Changes to birthright citizenship could have implications for North Carolina's diverse population and for families with ties to other countries, potentially impacting demographics and social services across the state.

WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump has signed new executive orders addressing the automatic guarantee of United States citizenship for individuals born within the nation's borders. The actions taken by the president occurred weeks after a Supreme Court ruling related to a prior attempt by the administration concerning birthright citizenship. The White House announced the new orders Thursday. Details of the specific provisions within these new orders were not immediately released. President Trump previously sought to modify the interpretation of the 14th Amendment's citizenship clause. The Supreme Court recently issued a decision on that earlier effort, which had aimed to end automatic citizenship for some individuals born in the U.S. The specifics of the Supreme Court's ruling and its direct impact on the president's current actions were not detailed in the White House announcement. The 14th Amendment, ratified in 1868, states, "All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside." Legal scholars and policymakers have offered varying interpretations of this clause over time, particularly regarding the phrase "subject to the jurisdiction thereof." Officials stated that these new orders represent the administration's continued focus on immigration policy. President Trump has frequently discussed the issue of birthright citizenship during his term.