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The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is condemning President Donald Trump's recent executive orders targeting birthright citizenship, issued on Thursday (August 6). These orders aim to restrict birthright citizenship for children of foreign diplomatic staff, individuals classified as alien enemies, and those born in U.S. territories. Another order bans citizenship for children born to mothers who entered the U.S. solely to give birth.
The Supreme Court had previously struck down an earlier attempt by President Trump to limit birthright citizenship, as outlined in the 14th Amendment of the Constitution. The ACLU has called these orders a direct attack on a fundamental constitutional protection. According to the ACLU, "Any executive order that tries to rewrite birthright citizenship will meet the same fate as the last one."
The ACLU, along with other legal organizations, were actively involved in challenging Trump's earlier orders. Legal groups argued that the orders violated the Constitution, longstanding federal statutes, and over a century of Supreme Court precedent.