The US Supreme Court has will hear a landmark case that questions a longstanding principle: automatic citizenship for individuals born on American soil.
On his first day in office this January, the administration signed an order aiming to halt birthright citizenship, but the move was struck down by the judiciary after legal challenges were initiated.
The Supreme Court's final decision will either support citizenship rights for the offspring of immigrants who are in the US undocumented or on non-immigrant visas, or it will overturn those rights entirely.
Next, the judges will calendar a session to hear arguments between the government and claimants, which involve parents who are immigrants and their infants.
For nearly 160 years, the Fourteenth Amendment has established the rule that all individuals born in the United States is a American citizen, with exceptions for children born to diplomats and members of foreign military forces.
"Anyone born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States."
The contested presidential order sought to withhold citizenship to the offspring of people who are either in the US illegally or are in the country on short-term status.
The United States is one of about 30 countries – largely in the Western Hemisphere – that grant instant citizenship to all those born within their borders.
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Margaret Crane
Margaret Crane
Margaret Crane
Margaret Crane