The President of the United States, Donald Trump, signed two new executive orders on Thursday aimed at restricting birthright citizenship in certain cases and tightening measures against so-called maternity tourism, the White House reported in an official fact sheet.
The provisions come just over a month after the Supreme Court blocked the previous attempt by the administration to eliminate automatic citizenship for the children of undocumented immigrants and temporary visitors born on U.S. soil.
On June 30, the Supreme Court blocked the executive order that Trump had signed on January 20, 2025, to limit automatic citizenship by birth. The president subsequently called the decision "very unfortunate," and his administration announced that it would seek other legal avenues to advance that policy.
The first identifies several categories of people whose children, according to the government's interpretation, would not have the right to U.S. citizenship by birth. These include the children of members of designated terrorist organizations, officials of foreign governments with diplomatic immunity, individuals who resort to commercial or fraudulent schemes of maternity tourism, and those born in territories where Congress has not granted citizenship by law.
The second order directs the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Homeland Security to strengthen efforts aimed at eliminating maternity tourism. The measure includes denying visas or preventing the entry of foreigners traveling to the United States with the primary purpose of giving birth so that their children can obtain U.S. citizenship.
In its official explanation, the White House stated that the measures aim to "protect the integrity of the U.S. immigration system" by preventing the entry of individuals who, according to the government, use specialized organizations to circumvent immigration laws through maternity tourism.
The new orders represent another attempt by Trump to restrict birthright citizenship, one of the key pillars of his immigration policy.
After the Supreme Court's ruling in June, the president reacted strongly. On July 1, he posted an ironic message on Truth Social in which he stated, "I would like to congratulate President Xi and the great country of China on their tremendous victory regarding birthright citizenship!"
Later, he asked Congress to approve a law that would eliminate this right and announced that he would request the court itself to review the decision again.
The new measures could open another legal front regarding birthright citizenship. According to Fox News, when asked this Thursday whether the orders would withstand potential challenges, Trump responded, “I think so.” For his part, Will Scharf, Cabinet Secretary of the White House, asserted that the administration is resorting to "legally validated" mechanisms that, he claimed, do not conflict with the Supreme Court ruling.
In the case of Cubans, the immediate impact of the new measures would be limited. Cuba is not part of the U.S. Visa Waiver Program, and in addition, tourist visas for Cuban citizens remain suspended under an active presidential proclamation, a situation that has already made it practically difficult for maternity travel from the island.
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