US President Donald Trump signed two executive orders Thursday aimed at further restricting birthright citizenship, including one expanding the categories of people deemed ineligible for automatic citizenship at birth and another banning so-called "birth tourism."
Trump criticized a recent Supreme Court ruling on birthright citizenship, calling it "a very unfortunate decision."
"We're making adjustments because it's very unfair," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office before signing the orders. "This was done right after the Civil War. This was for the babies of slaves, and what's happening now? People are building businesses around it ... That's not the way it was supposed to work," referring to birthright citizenship, which is guaranteed by the Fourteenth Amendment to the US Constitution.
The Supreme Court struck down Trump's executive order in June seeking to end birthright citizenship, with Chief Justice John Roberts affirming that the 14th Amendment's protections extend to all children born on American soil.
White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller said the first executive order relies on the Supreme Court's recent ruling to broaden the definition of individuals who are not entitled to birthright citizenship.
"The president is using his authority as commander in chief to sign first an executive order using the new ruling the Supreme Court issued to expand the definitions of people who are ineligible for birthright citizenship," Miller told reporters.
He said the order applies to "alien enemies of the United States, members of foreign terrorist organizations, and large categories of people who lobby and act on behalf of foreign governments."
"With taking this action, it ensures that large numbers of people who wrongly would be getting birthright citizenship will no longer be eligible for those benefits," Miller added.
Trump signed a second executive order banning "birth tourism" -- the practice of traveling to the US on a temporary visa primarily to give birth so a child acquires citizenship.
Miller said the order directs consular officers to deny visas to applicants whose primary purpose for traveling to the US is to obtain citizenship for a child.
