President Donald Trump signed two executive orders Thursday in a renewed effort to limit birthright citizenship, weeks after the Supreme Court rejected his broader attempt to curb automatic U.S. citizenship.
The orders target what the administration describes as abuses of the current system, including so-called "birth tourism," while expanding the categories of people who would not qualify under the administration's interpretation of birthright citizenship.
One order focuses on foreign nationals who travel to the United States to give birth so their children receive U.S. citizenship.
"If you're telling a consular officer you're here as a tourist, but your true purpose and intent is to go to a baby mill, give birth and try to mint an American citizen while you're here and you're committing a fraud against the American government," White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller said.
Trump claimed "hundreds of thousands" of people are exploiting birth tourism, though he did not provide evidence for that figure.
The second executive order takes a narrower approach than the administration's earlier effort, which the Supreme Court rejected. According to Miller, it broadens the list of people whose children would not qualify under the new policy.
Miller said those categories include "alien enemies of the United States, members of foreign terrorist organizations and large categories of people who lobby and act on behalf of foreign governments."
The latest orders are expected to face legal challenges, but White House officials argue they were written to address the concerns raised by the Supreme Court and believe they are constitutional.
"We had a very unfortunate decision in the Supreme Court concerning birthright. It was close, but a very, very unfortunate decision," Trump said. "So we're making adjustments because it's very unfair."
Trump also argued that birthright citizenship has been applied beyond its original intent.
"This was done for a different reason; this was done right after the Civil War. This was for the babies of slaves," Trump said. "And what's happening now, if people are building businesses around it… wealthy people are building businesses around birthright citizenship; that's not the way it's supposed to work. It's a disgrace. They're buying their way in, and we're not going to let it happen."
