Trump orders limits on birthright citizenship, targets 'birth tourism'

President Trump signed two executive orders on Thursday in an attempt to prevent certain individuals from being granted U.S. citizenship by birth, following a Supreme Court decision that struck down his previous order. White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller announced that one order targets "birth tourism," or individuals who come to the U.S. to give birth in order to obtain automatic citizenship for their children.

The other order broadens the definition of individuals ineligible for birthright citizenship. The White House has not yet released the full text of the orders. Miller stated that "birth tourism" has been a topic of discussion for years, as people often arrive in the U.S. under the guise of visiting Disneyland or other tourist attractions, but their real purpose is to give birth and thereby confer citizenship on their children, who can then access welfare benefits, vote, and enjoy other rights reserved for American citizens.

The president has previously criticized the 14th Amendment, which grants citizenship to all persons born or naturalized in the U.S., arguing that it was intended to address the rights of former slaves in the aftermath of the Civil War. The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that the president's initial executive order was unconstitutional and inconsistent with the amendment.