24/01/2025
On January 20, 2025, President Donald Trump signed Executive Order 14156, titled “Protecting the Meaning and Value of American Citizenship,” aiming to end birthright citizenship for children born in the United States to parents who are neither U.S. citizens nor lawful permanent residents. This executive order reinterprets the 14th Amendment’s Citizenship Clause, particularly the phrase “subject to the jurisdiction thereof,” to exclude such children from automatic citizenship. 
The order specifies that individuals born after February 19, 2025, will not be granted U.S. citizenship at birth if:
• Their mother was unlawfully present in the U.S., and their father was neither a U.S. citizen nor a lawful permanent resident at the time of birth.
• Their mother was in the U.S. on a temporary status (e.g., student, work, or tourist visa), and their father was neither a U.S. citizen nor a lawful permanent resident when the person was born.
The executive order was immediately challenged in court by civil rights and immigrant advocacy organizations, as well as multiple states, on the grounds that it violates the 14th Amendment, which has historically guaranteed birthright citizenship for over 150 years. 
On January 23, 2025, U.S. District Judge John C. Coughenour of the Western District of Washington issued a temporary restraining order blocking the enforcement of the executive order, calling it “blatantly unconstitutional.” This restraining order is in effect for 14 days as legal challenges proceed. 
Legal experts widely agree that the executive order conflicts with the plain language of the 14th Amendment and over a century of Supreme Court case law affirming birthright citizenship. The issue is expected to undergo extensive litigation, with its prospects of surviving court challenges considered slim. 
