The US Supreme Court in Washington. BloombergThe US Supreme Court in Washington. BloombergUnder the Constitution, most children born in the US automatically become citizensThe NationalJune 30, 2026The US Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected President Donald Trump's attempt to restrict birthright citizenship, marking a defeat for the Republican leader and his efforts to clamp down on immigration. The top court's nine justices ruled 6-3 to uphold a lower court's decision to block Mr Trump's executive order directing US agencies not ​to recognise the citizenship of children born in the US if neither parent is an American citizen or a green card holder.Under the US Constitution, children born in the US automatically become citizens, except in some rare cases. Challengers to Mr Trump's order argued that it violated the Constitution's 14th Amendment giving citizenship to those born in the US who are "subject to the jurisdiction thereof."During the arguments, US Solicitor General D John Sauer, representing the administration, said the promise of citizenship for virtually any baby born on US soil has spawned what he called a sprawling industry of "birth tourism."Mr Sauer said that "uncounted thousands of foreigners from potentially hostile nations have flocked to give birth in the United States in recent decades" to secure citizenship for their children. Asked to explain how serious an issue "birth tourism" has become, Mr Sauer primarily cited media reports and conceded that "no one knows for sure."This is a developing story...Updated: June 30, 2026, 2:56 PM