Supreme Court Upholds Birthright Citizenship, Dealing Blow to Trump’s Executive Order

Original article: Trump no pudo torcer la 14ª Enmienda: Suprema de EE.UU. mantiene ciudadanía por nacimiento

The United States Supreme Court delivered a decisive blow to Donald Trump by striking down his executive order aimed at limiting birthright citizenship rights, a constitutional principle that has been in place for over 150 years.

In a 6-3 vote, the justices maintained the historical precedent that automatically grants citizenship to all babies born on U.S. soil. This ruling marks a significant judicial defeat for the far-right leader’s second administration, who has made this cause one of his most emblematic political banners since his 2015 campaign.

The Republican mogul argued that automatic citizenship encouraged illegal immigration and allowed undocumented foreigners to «unfairly benefit» from the nation’s laws. However, the highest court in the U.S. made it clear that an executive order cannot override what is established in the Constitution, specifically under the 14th Amendment.

The Executive Order That Triggered the Conflict

On his first day back in the White House, January 20, 2025, Trump signed an executive order that ended the granting of citizenship to children of undocumented parents or those on temporary visas. Critics of the measure immediately denounced it as a blatant violation of the 14th Amendment, which states that all persons «born or naturalized» in the country are U.S. citizens.

Supreme Court’s Response and Its Implications

The ruling, written by Chief Justice John Roberts, asserts that individuals born in the United States to foreign parents in irregular or temporary situations are «citizens at birth.» Roberts referenced the history of the 14th Amendment, passed after the Civil War to guarantee rights for freed slaves, stating that «citizenship, then and now, is the right to have rights and to freely participate in our political community.»

According to the Court, the amendment «extended that promise to all free persons born on this soil» and concluded: «Today we uphold that promise.»

Trump Calls on Congress to End Birthright Citizenship

Trump expressed frustration on his Truth Social platform, calling the ruling «too bad for our country» and urging Congress to «start today» the work to «end the face and unfair birthright citizenship for our country.» However, experts note that amending the Constitution requires an extremely complex ratification process that demands supermajorities in Congress and among the states, which is practically unviable in the current political climate.

In contrast, defenders of immigrant rights celebrated the ruling as a historic victory. Krish O’Mara Vignarajah, president of Global Refuge, stated that «the 14th Amendment proved once again today that it is stronger than the forces attempting to dilute it,» as reported by BBC Mundo.

Historic Ruling That Hits Trump Hard

The Supreme Court’s decision, shaped largely by Trump himself, sends a clear message: birthright citizenship is firmly embedded in the American constitutional framework and cannot be abolished by presidential decree. This ruling, which Gary O’Donoghue of the BBC described as case study material for law schools for years, solidifies a right that the United States shares with approximately 30 countries worldwide, including neighbors like Mexico and Canada.

The ultranationalist’s attempt to personally attend one of the hearings, an unprecedented move for a sitting president, was seen as an effort to pressure the court, a strategy that ultimately proved fruitless. The leader, who described birthright citizenship as «the greatest magnet for illegal immigration» and insisted that the U.S. «cannot live with the shackles» of this practice, now faces the reality that his ambitious project has been constitutionally buried.