President Donald Trump said on Thursday that the birthright citizenship amendment in the US Constitution was intended for the children of slaves and not for the whole world to "come in and pile" into the US, reported PTI.
“Birthright citizenship was, if you look back when this was passed and made, that was meant for the children of slaves. This was not meant for the whole world to come in and pile into the United States of America,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office of the White House.
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“Everybody coming in, and totally unqualified people with perhaps unqualified children. This wasn't meant for that," he said.
Trump had notably issued an executive order on his first day in office that would end birthright citizenship in the country, though it was later struck down by a federal court in Seattle.
Also Read: 'Element of racism in Trump's birthright citizenship move…': India's Former US Envoy Meera Shankar
{{/usCountry}}Also Read: 'Element of racism in Trump's birthright citizenship move…': India's Former US Envoy Meera Shankar
{{/usCountry}}The US President has vowed to challenge the court's decision and expressed confidence that the Supreme Court would rule in his favour.
While addressing reporters in the Oval Office, Trump also said that he was 100 per cent in favour of birthright citizenship for the children of slaves, calling it a “good and noble thing to do”.
Also Read: ‘Unconstitutional’: White House spokesperson on birthright citizenship
However, he added, “It wasn't meant for the entire world to occupy the United States.”
Earlier this week, a group of Republican Senators also introduced a bill in the US Senate to restrict birthright citizenship to the children of illegal immigrants and non-immigrants on temporary visas.
The Birthright Citizenship Act of 2025, introduced by Senators Lindsey Graham, Ted Cruz and Katie Britt, that citizenship at birth would only provided to children born to at least one parent who is either a citizen or national of the US, a lawful permanent resident of the US, or an immigrant performing active service in the armed forces.