The Supreme Court on Tuesday struck down the Trump administration\u2019s executive order limiting the right to automatic citizenship for babies born in the United States.<\/p>\n
Civil rights leaders and immigrant rights organizations lauded the 6-to-3 decision<\/a>, saying it affirmed more than a century of legal precedent and the nation\u2019s long-held values. But they warned the fear instilled by the Trump administration\u2019s targeting of immigrants would linger.<\/p>\n Immigration hard-liners denounced the Supreme Court ruling, arguing the Trump administration\u2019s aggressive enforcement against those in the country unlawfully was more justified and urgent than before.<\/p>\n Kevin Roberts, president of the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, described it as \u201ca tremendous betrayal of the republic\u201d that lessened the value of American citizenship. He also previewed what could be the next move for Republican opponents: He called for a constitutional amendment to correct it.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s what to know.<\/p>\n How did we get here?<\/p>\n Birthright citizenship, which is rooted in common law, has been guaranteed by the 14th Amendment to the Constitution for more than 150 years.<\/p>\n President Trump has long promised to restrict the right<\/a>, blasting it as a \u201cscam\u201d that attracts migrants. On the first day of his second term, Mr. Trump signed an executive order<\/a> that aimed to end birthright citizenship for the U.S.-born babies of unauthorized immigrants and foreign residents with temporary legal status. These included tourists and students on visas.<\/p>\n Immigrant and civil rights organizations and more than 20 states, as well as the District of Columbia, challenged the order in at least four major lawsuits. Those led to lower court orders that blocked the restrictions<\/a> from taking effect nationwide.<\/p>\n The case before the Supreme Court is rooted in a class-action lawsuit named Barbara v. Trump. It was filed in New Hampshire to protect the rights of all children born in the United States.<\/p>\n What is the immediate impact?<\/p>\n The executive order is now null and void. States can continue issuing birth certificates as they have been.<\/p>\n Parents will see no changes or extra legal hurdles when applying for birth certificates, passports or Social Security numbers. A U.S. birth certificate will continue to be proof of citizenship for any child.<\/p>\n According to the Pew Research Center<\/a>, there are more than six million people born in the United States who live with at least one unauthorized immigrant parent. That number includes about 4.6 million children under 18 and about 1.4 million U.S.-born adults.<\/p>\n Deborah Fleischaker, a former Homeland Security official now with the Latino group UnidosUS, called the decision \u201ca huge relief.\u201d Policy experts had warned that the order risked creating a permanent underclass of stateless children, barred from citizenship in the United States and potentially rejected by their parents\u2019 home countries.<\/p>\n What is the political fallout?<\/p>\n Most Americans support automatic citizenship for those born on U.S. soil, according to a New York Times analysis<\/a> of polling. That includes a vast majority of Democrats and about 40 percent of Republicans.<\/p>\n The ruling quashes one of the most expansive parts of the Trump administration\u2019s immigration agenda, and could prompt calls from Republican lawmakers for a constitutional amendment to restrict the right. That would be a legislative fight with significant hurdles.<\/p>\n