"Would like to congratulate President Xi": Trump takes swipe at Supreme Court after birthright citizenship ruling
Washington DC, July 1
President Donald Trump criticised the US Supreme Court on Tuesday after it struck down his executive order seeking to end birthright citizenship for children of illegal immigrants and temporary visitors.
Reacting on Truth Social to the 6-3 ruling, Trump sarcastically congratulated Chinese President Xi Jinping, calling the decision a "massive Birthright Citizenship WIN" for China over birth tourism concerns.
The President said, "I would like to congratulate President Xi, and the Great Country of China, on their massive Birthright Citizenship Win!"
The remark came hours after the US Supreme Court, in a 6-3 decision, upheld the principle of birthright citizenship, affirming that children born in the United States to parents who are unlawfully or temporarily present are entitled to automatic US citizenship under the Citizenship Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.
The President's post appeared to suggest that the court's decision would benefit foreign nationals, including those from China.
The ruling came as the Supreme Court struck down the executive order associated with Trump, with the majority reaffirming that the Fourteenth Amendment guarantees citizenship to those born on US soil, consistent with earlier precedents.
While some conservative justices dissented, the court's decision was welcomed by civil rights groups, who called it a relief for immigrant communities across the country.
American broadcaster CNN shared the court document, which mentioned that children born in the United States to parents who are unlawfully or temporarily present in the country are entitled to automatic US citizenship under the Citizenship Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.
The Court also relied on its earlier ruling in United States v. Wong Kim Ark, which established that children born in the US to foreign parents are entitled to birthright citizenship.
CNN mentioned that one of the main arguments that President Donald Trump's attorneys had raised was that the 14th Amendment required people to be domiciled -- or with the intention of remaining -- in the United States before being entitled to birthright citizenship.
On the hearing, the American broadcaster reported that Chief Justice John Roberts said, "Citizenship, then and now, was the right to have rights -- to freely participate in our political community," Roberts wrote for the court. "The Framers of the Fourteenth Amendment extended that promise to 'every free-born person in this land.' We keep that promise today."
The major blow to Trump comes as one of the key issues on which he ran for the 2nd term was towards ending "birth tourism", with Trump 2.0 coming down heavily on both legal and illegal immigration.
— ANI
Reader Comments
From an Indian perspective, this ruling is actually good news for many families. So many NRIs have had children in the US during work assignments or studies, and birthright citizenship ensures those kids don't become stateless. Trump's sarcastic comment to Xi is just deflection politics. Bhagwan jaane, why can't he accept the court's decision gracefully? 🙏
Honestly, I don't understand the fuss. Every country has its own citizenship rules. India doesn't have birthright citizenship - you need at least one Indian parent. The US has it. That's their law. Trump's comment is just political theatre. But I do think there's a valid debate about birth tourism - people exploiting the system. Still, the judiciary is right to uphold the Constitution.
I'm an American living in India and this ruling is a big relief. Birthright citizenship is part of what makes America the land of opportunity. Trump's attack on the Supreme Court is worrying - he's undermining democratic institutions. The Chief Justice's words about citizenship being "the right to have rights" are beautiful and true. 🙌
As an Indian, I have mixed feelings. On one hand, birthright citizenship seems fair - you're born there, you're a citizen. On the other hand, I've seen cases where wealthy Chinese come to the US just to give birth and leave. That's not what the 14th Amendment was meant for. Trump's sarcasm is childish, but he raises a valid point about abuse of the system. Maybe India should also reconsider its citizenship rules for children born here to foreigners? 🤔
N We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.