The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case over whether the century-old constitutional right of citizenship guaranteed to people born in the United States remains intact.
President Donald Trump signed an order abolishing birthright citizenship on his first day in office in January, but the bill was defeated in lower courts due to constitutionality issues.
The Supreme Court’s final ruling will either support or end the citizenship rights of children of immigrants who are in the U.S. illegally or on temporary visas.
Next, the justices will set a date to hear oral arguments between the government and the plaintiffs, who include immigrant parents and their infants and toddlers.
For nearly 160 years, the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution has established the principle that anyone born in the United States is an American citizen, except the children of diplomats or foreign military personnel.
The text of the amendment is as follows: “All persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to its jurisdiction are citizens of the United States.”
President Trump’s executive order denies citizenship to children of illegal immigrants or those staying in the United States on temporary visas.
The United States is one of about 30 countries that automatically grants citizenship to anyone born within its borders.
