Washington, USA: The debate over birthright citizenship has resurfaced, with former President Donald Trump leading the charge. He has long argued that the policy was originally designed to grant citizenship to the descendants of slaves, not as an open invitation for individuals worldwide to claim American citizenship.

"Birthright citizenship, when it was first introduced, was meant for the children of slaves. It was never intended as a means for people from all over the world to come and take advantage of the United States," Trump stated during a discussion in the Oval Office.

He further added, "People are coming in, and many of them are unqualified, along with their children. That was never the purpose of this provision."

Trump reiterated his belief that birthright citizenship was a noble policy meant to address historical injustices. However, he stressed that its application should not be so broad as to allow unrestricted immigration. "I fully support its original intent, but it wasn’t designed for the entire world to settle in the United States," he affirmed.

Trump has maintained this stance for years and even took action to challenge birthright citizenship during his presidency. On his first day in office, he signed an executive order to eliminate it, but the directive was swiftly overturned by a federal court in Seattle. Despite this setback, Trump remains confident that the Supreme Court will eventually side with him.

In alignment with Trump's views, Republican Senators Lindsey Graham, Ted Cruz, and Katie Britt have introduced new legislation—the Birthright Citizenship Act of 2025. This bill seeks to limit automatic citizenship for children born to undocumented immigrants and non-immigrant visa holders. Proponents argue that the current policy encourages illegal immigration and poses security concerns.

Currently, the United States is one of only 33 countries that do not impose restrictions on birthright citizenship. Data from the Center for Immigration Studies suggests that in 2023, between 225,000 and 250,000 births in the U.S. were to undocumented immigrants, making up nearly seven percent of all births.

Under the proposed Birthright Citizenship Act of 2025, automatic citizenship would be granted only to children with at least one parent who is a U.S. citizen, a lawful permanent resident, a national, or an active member of the armed forces. The changes would apply only to births occurring after the law is enacted.