Birthright Battle Escalates

The Justice Department moved quickly to target so-called “birth tourism” after the Supreme Court rejected President Donald Trump’s effort to restrict birthright citizenship. A memo from Assistant Attorney General Colin McDonald directed federal prosecutors to prioritize investigations and prosecutions of schemes involving people who come to the United States to give birth so their children receive citizenship. The shift follows the Court’s ruling that the 14th Amendment protects citizenship for children born on U.S. soil, undercutting Trump’s executive order. Administration officials signaled they would pursue enforcement actions around temporary visitors, tourists and undocumented immigrants even after losing the broader constitutional fight.