Trump Administration Considers Banning Pregnant Foreigners from Entering U.S. Following Birthright Citizenship Ruling

Following the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling that President Donald Trump's executive order restricting birthright citizenship is unconstitutional, the President's inner circle is considering measures to block pregnant foreign women from entering the country entirely.

According to a report by the U.S. online media outlet Axios on July 1 (local time), President Trump's aides and supporters from the MAGA (Make America Great Again) base quickly pivoted to this new plan following the court's decision the previous day.

Stephen Miller, White House Deputy Chief of Staff and the architect of the Trump administration's hardline immigration policies, said in an interview with Fox News the previous day, "We have to be very careful about who is coming into the United States, even if it is temporary," citing the possibility that people are coming to give birth on U.S. soil so that their children can hold citizenship for life.

Sean Davis, co-founder of the pro-Trump conservative media outlet The Federalist, also proposed the same idea.

Axios explained that this idea has also been raised by other officials within the Trump administration.

Regarding this plan, Axios noted, "It would spark a new debate over pregnancy, travel, and citizenship, shifting the conversation from the rights of children born in the U.S. to the issue of restricting who can enter the country."

Immediately after the Supreme Court's ruling to uphold birthright citizenship, President Trump expressed his regret and ordered Congress to pass legislation that could achieve similar practical effects to his unconstitutional executive order without requiring a constitutional amendment.

Additionally, the U.S. Department of Justice has instructed federal prosecutors to prioritize the investigation and prosecution of "birth tourism" cases, which refer to foreigners entering the U.S. under false pretenses regarding their purpose of travel to give birth and secure U.S. citizenship for their children.

However, the proposal to ban pregnant foreigners from entering the country has drawn criticism.

Katy O'Connor, senior counsel for federal abortion policy at the National Women's Law Center, told Axios, "The idea that data about who is pregnant and what their pregnancy status is could be handed over to the federal government, and even further to state governments, is a truly dangerous proposal."

She added, "It could be as simple as just asking about pregnancy (during immigration screening), but it could be more than that. You cannot predict what this administration will do."

The U.S. government does not track the number of babies born to foreigners visiting the country, but external estimates suggest the figure is between 20,000 and 26,000 annually.

In this regard, Axios cited data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) showing that 3.6 million babies were born in the U.S. last year, noting that "birth tourism is relatively rare."

Axios also pointed out that several athletes, such as Folarin Balogun, a key striker for the U.S. national soccer team that advanced to the Round of 32 in the North and Central American World Cup, would not have been eligible to play for the U.S. team without birthright citizenship.

(Photo: Getty Images)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.