According to reports from CNN, Reuters, and other media outlets, on September 2nd, local time, Judge Deborah Boardman of the federal court in Maryland issued a preliminary injunction to prevent the Trump administration from implementing a new executive order. This executive order seeks to restrict the scope of ‘birth citizenship’ – the right to automatic citizenship by birth within U.S. territory.
In the opinion document released along with the preliminary injunction, Bodman wrote that, considering the previous attempts by the Supreme Court to reject similar lawsuits, this new administrative order is likely to violate the constitution.
According to the principle of citizenship based on place of birth established in the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution: All persons born within the territory of the United States shall become citizens of the United States, regardless of their parentage.
Bodeman said that if a ban is not imposed, the executive order signed by Trump could deprive some children of their citizenship rights, while the Supreme Court has already ruled that these children have citizenship.
August 6, 2026, Washington, USA. U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order regarding birth citizenship at the White House. IC Photo
Restricting “birth citizenship” has always been a key aspect of Trump’s “anti-immigration” policy. In January 2025, after returning to the White House, Trump signed an executive order stipulating that newborns whose parents are not American citizens or legal permanent residents cannot automatically obtain American citizenship. While this executive order can establish a policy, its effectiveness is limited by laws passed by Congress. On June 30th of this year, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled to prevent this executive order from taking effect.
On August 6th, Trump signed two executive orders. According to the text of the executive orders released by the White House, the first order lists certain foreign nationals who are not eligible for “birth citizenship” as being applicable to their new-born children in the United States. The second order addresses the practice of “birth tourism,” where individuals travel to the U.S. to give birth, thereby enabling their newborns to obtain U.S. citizenship.
