Washington: Former US President Donald Trump has vowed to end birthright citizenship for children of unauthorised immigrants if he wins the 2024 election.
The 14th Amendment of the Constitution, adopted following the Civil War, declares that all “persons born or naturalized in the United States” are “citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside”, reports CBS News.
In a video message on Tuesday, Trump said that he would issue an executive order during his first day back at the White House in January 2025 instructing the federal government to deny citizenship to children with parents who are not American citizens or legal permanent residents.
“My policy will choke off a major incentive for continued illegal immigration, deter more migrants from coming and encourage many of the aliens Joe Biden has unlawfully let into our country to go back to their home countries. They must go back,” the former President said.
Besides the US, Canada and Mexico also offer birthright citizenship.
Trump had also brought up the issue while he was in office.
In a 2018 interview with Axios magazine, he had said that he would end birthright citizenship through an executive order, although he did not provide a timeline for doing so, reports CNN.
Again in 2019, Trump had said he wass “seriously” considering ending birthright citizenship despite the fact that such a move would face immediate legal challenge and is at odds with Supreme Court precedent.
(IANS)
