US President Trump has defended his executive order aimed at ending automatic citizenship for children born in the United States, claiming birthright citizenship “had everything to do with the babies of slaves” and was not intended for “some rich person coming from another country.” In a Politico interview, he said judges “understand it, too” and warned a Supreme Court ruling against his administration would be “devastating.”
The 14th Amendment, adopted in 1868, grants citizenship to anyone born in the US. Trump’s order affects babies born more than 30 days after his January inauguration, triggering legal challenges. He justified the move on economic grounds, saying the US “cannot afford to house tens of millions of people.” The Supreme Court is set to hear arguments in the coming months, with potential major implications for immigration law.