President Donald Trump took to social media on Tuesday. March 31, and renewed his sharp criticism of birthright citizenship, calling it a “great scam” that was never meant to apply to children of wealthy foreigners but only to the babies of slaves after the Civil War.
In a Truth Social post, Trump wrote: “Birthright Citizenship has to do with the babies of slaves, not Chinese Billionaires who have 56 kids, all of whom ‘become’ American Citizens. One of the many Great Scams of our time.”
The statement came as the Supreme Court prepares to hear arguments on challenges to his administration’s efforts to limit automatic citizenship for some children born in the U.S.
Trump has long targeted the policy, which stems from the 14th Amendment ratified in 1868. That amendment states that “all persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States.”
It was designed primarily to grant citizenship to formerly enslaved people and their descendants after the Civil War ended in 1865.
The president has repeatedly argued that the provision was narrowly scoped. He points to the timing, the amendment passed shortly after the war, as evidence that it wasn’t intended for modern immigration cases or what he calls “birth tourism.”
Also Read: Trump Explains Why He is Ending Birthright Citizenship
In past remarks, Trump has said the same thing multiple times, insisting the rule wasn’t for “rich people coming from another country” or those trying to game the system.
Immigrant rights and other legal groups counter that the Supreme Court settled the wider meaning more than a century ago.
In the 1898 case United States v. Wong Kim Ark, the justices ruled 6-2 that a child born in San Francisco to Chinese immigrant parents, who were not diplomats, was a U.S. citizen under the 14th Amendment.
The decision affirmed that birth on American soil generally confers citizenship, regardless of the parents’ nationality, provided they are not in official foreign diplomatic roles.
Trump’s past comments.
Trump’s latest post echoes comments he made after a Supreme Court ruling last year that allowed parts of his executive order on the issue to move forward in limited ways.
In June 2025, he celebrated what he called a “GIANT WIN,” saying the birthright citizenship “hoax” had been hit hard and reiterating it was about “the babies of slaves” and not “scamming” the immigration process.
On his first day in office in January 2025, Trump issued an executive order that directed several agencies not to recognize automatic citizenship for children born in the U.S. if the mother of the child was unlawfully present in the U.S. or on a temporary visa such as a tourist, student, or work visa, and the child’s father is not a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident.
The order has encountered legal hurdles, with courts granting preliminary injunctions. The case is set for review by the Supreme Court, with oral arguments scheduled for soon.
Trump’s supporters, such as some Republicans in Congress, claim that the current system is being abused.
They point to birth tourism, where expectant mothers travel to the U.S. specifically to give birth so their child can gain citizenship and potential future benefits such as easier family sponsorship.
In fact, estimates by groups such as the Center for Immigration Studies show that the number of these births to women on tourist visas is between 33,000 and 36,000 annually.
They point out that the Wong Kim Ark case directly involved the children of non-citizen immigrants living in the U.S. and rejected narrow interpretations.
Lawsuits from groups like the ACLU argue the executive order violates the explicit wording of the 14th Amendment and longstanding practice.
The debate has heated up amid Trump’s broader immigration crackdown. His administration has pushed for tougher enforcement, including task forces on fraud and reviews of naturalization cases.
Birthright citizenship remains one of the most symbolic flashpoints, with Trump describing it as unfair to American taxpayers and a magnet for exploitation by the wealthy.
Democrats and immigrant advocates call the push an attack on core American values. They say the 14th Amendment was meant to ensure equality and prevent a permanent underclass, much like it did for freed slaves.
Altering it now, they argue, would create uncertainty for millions of U.S.-born children and contradict more than 125 years of settled law.
