{"id":2586257,"date":"2026-04-01T17:19:01","date_gmt":"2026-04-01T21:19:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/roberts-inquires-why-birth-tourism-should-matter-to-discuss-birthright-citizenship\/"},"modified":"2026-04-01T17:21:20","modified_gmt":"2026-04-01T21:21:20","slug":"roberts-inquires-why-birth-tourism-should-matter-to-discuss-birthright-citizenship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/roberts-inquires-why-birth-tourism-should-matter-to-discuss-birthright-citizenship\/","title":{"rendered":"Roberts inquires why birth tourism should matter to discuss birthright citizenship"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Froberts-inquires-why-birth-tourism-should-matter-to-discuss-birthright-citizenship%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2586257&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>During oral arguments in Trump v. Barbara at the Supreme Court, Chief Justice John Roberts pressed the government on why \u201cbirth tourism\u201d should matter to the legal question of narrowing birthright citizenship under the 14th Amendment. The Solicitor General defended the management\u2019s view that the current,more expansive interpretation creates problems and possible security concerns,citing reports of people traveling to the U.S. to give birth and pointing to Miami as a hotspot. Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito challenged how these concerns affect the legal analysis, prompting the DOJ to acknowledge that birth tourism did not exist at the Amendment\u2019s ratification.Justice Brett Kavanaugh questioned the relevance of comparing U.S. practices to other countries,stressing the need to interpret American law based on American history and precedent. The justices appeared skeptical of the DOJ\u2019s arguments and not fully convinced by the ACLU\u2019s position, with a ruling expected by the end of the Supreme Court term in June.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">John Roberts questions why birth tourism should matter in birthright citizenship decision<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2549580\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>Chief Justice <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/john-roberts\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"1007\">John Roberts<\/a> questioned why the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/trump-administration\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"339\">Trump administration<\/a> invoked concerns about birth tourism in their arguments for narrowing the definition of birthright citizenship, asking Wednesday what it has to do with the legal arguments before the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/supreme-court\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"203\">Supreme Court<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The question came as the justices heard arguments in <em>Trump v. Barbara<\/em>, a challenge to President Donald Trump&rsquo;s 2025 executive order seeking to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-admin-faces-tough-questions-on-birthright-citizenship-at-supreme-court\/\" title=\"... admin faces tough questions on ... at ...\">reestablish birthright citizenship<\/a> under the 14th Amendment so it would only apply to children born on U.S. soil to at least one U.S. citizen or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/doj-investigating-spacexs-hiring-practices-after-non-u-s-citizen-alleges-discrimination\/\" title=\"... Investigating SpaceX\u2019s Hiring Practices After Non-U.S. ... Alleges Discrimination\">lawful permanent resident<\/a>. Solicitor General D. John Sauer was grilled by the justices, who <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/supreme-court\/4512165\/tough-questions-birthright-citizenship-supreme-court\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/supreme-court\/4512165\/tough-questions-birthright-citizenship-supreme-court\/\">appeared deeply skeptical of the administration&rsquo;s stance<\/a> on birthright citizenship, as Trump watched from the public gallery in the courtroom.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/supreme-court\/4512516\/trump-supreme-court-birthright-citizenship\/\">Audience of one: Trump watches from Supreme Court gallery during birthright citizenship arguments<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/supreme-court\/4512165\/tough-questions-birthright-citizenship-supreme-court\/\">Trump administration faces tough questions on birthright citizenship at Supreme Court<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/supreme-court\/4512383\/debate-trump-special-presidential-chair-supreme-court-arguments\/\">Debate rages over special presidential chair in Supreme Court as Trump watches arguments<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>Roughly 30 minutes into oral arguments, Roberts brought up concerns the DOJ had highlighted in its brief that &ldquo;birth tourism&rdquo; has become a side effect of the current liberal understanding of who is eligible for birthright citizenship. Birth tourism is when foreign nationals travel to the United States solely to give birth to their babies on American soil, which grants their children automatic citizenship, but then return to their home countries.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Do you have any information about how common that is, or how significant a problem it is?&rdquo; Roberts asked.<\/p>\n<p>Sauer responded by discussing reports of estimates that more than a million Chinese citizens have come to the U.S. for birth tourism, along with reports that Miami is one of the &ldquo;hot spots&rdquo; for Russian nationals to come for birth tourism, among other pieces of supporting evidence. Roberts then asked pointedly if Sauer agrees that those concerns have &ldquo;no impact on the legal analysis&rdquo; of whether Trump&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/from-immigration-to-tiktok-the-trump-actions-already-facing-legal-threats-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"From immigration to TikTok: The ... actions already facing legal threats - Washington Examiner\">birthright citizenship order<\/a> is constitutional.<\/p>\n<p>Sauer responded by saying that the government&rsquo;s long-held understanding of the birthright citizenship provision of the 14th Amendment has led to &ldquo;implications that could not possibly have been approved by the 19th century framers of this amendment&rdquo; and has created a &ldquo;mess.&rdquo; Roberts conceded that birth tourism was not a problem at the time of the ratification of the 14th Amendment.<\/p>\n<p>Sauer continued his argument by noting that &ldquo;We&rsquo;re in a new world now, as Justice [Samuel] Alito pointed out, where 8 billion people are one plane ride away from having a child that is a U.S. citizen.&rdquo; Roberts sharply responded: &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a new world, it&rsquo;s the same Constitution.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Supporters of the president&rsquo;s executive order have frequently pointed to birth tourism as one of the main troubles with the current interpretation of birthright citizenship. Many, including the president himself, noted the national security concerns associated with the ability of foreign nationals to have U.S. citizen children despite having little connection to the country.<\/p>\n<p>Justice Brett Kavanaugh also questioned the relevance of one of the Justice Department&rsquo;s recurring arguments: that the U.S. is an outlier in the world in terms of how liberal its <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >birthright citizenship law<\/a> is.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;You&rsquo;ve mentioned several times the practices of other countries, and that&rsquo;s obviously &mdash; as a policy matter &mdash; supports what you&rsquo;re arguing here,&rdquo; Kavanaugh said. &ldquo;But obviously we try to interpret American law with American precedent based on American history. That&rsquo;s certainly what I try to do, and I think you try to do.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;So why should we be thinking about even though &mdash; as a policy matter &mdash; I get the point thinking about, &lsquo;Gee, European countries don&rsquo;t have this, or most other countries, many other countries in the world, don&rsquo;t have this,&#8217;&rdquo; Kavanaugh said. &ldquo;I guess, I&rsquo;m not seeing the relevance as a legal, constitutional interpretive matter, necessarily, although I understand it&rsquo;s a very good point as a policy matter.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The skepticism shown by Roberts and Kavanaugh in their questioning highlighted the challenges the Justice Department faced at the Supreme Court on Wednesday. While the justices seemed unpersuaded by the DOJ&rsquo;s arguments regarding birthright citizenship, they also did not appear completely convinced by the ACLU&rsquo;s stance, calling on the high court to strike down the executive order and uphold the current legal interpretation of birthright citizenship.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/supreme-court\/4512165\/tough-questions-birthright-citizenship-supreme-court\/\" type=\"post\" id=\"4512165\">TRUMP ADMINISTRATION FACES TOUGH QUESTIONS ON BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP AT SUPREME COURT<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Since returning to the White House, Trump has had a mixed record at the Supreme Court on the merits docket, winning in&nbsp;<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/supreme-court\/3455997\/supreme-court-nationwide-injunctions-trump-birthright-citizenship-case\/\">last year&rsquo;s case against universal injunctions<\/a>&nbsp;but losing earlier this year in the case over his&nbsp;<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/supreme-court\/4409863\/supreme-court-strikes-down-trumps-sweeping-liberation-day-tariffs\/\">sweeping global tariffs<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>The administration is still waiting for a ruling on Trump&rsquo;s&nbsp;<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/supreme-court\/3908676\/supreme-court-grapples-executive-power-independent-agencies\/\">ability to fire independent agency heads<\/a>&nbsp;in the executive branch and will have arguments later this month in a case over the administration&rsquo;s&nbsp;<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/supreme-court\/4493132\/supreme-court-trump-bid-end-tps-haiti-syria\/\">bids to end temporary protected status<\/a>&nbsp;for Haiti and Syria. The Supreme Court is expected to issue a ruling in the birthright citizenship case, along with the other cases, by the end of June, when its term ends.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Paraphrase:<br \/>\nChief Justice John Roberts pressed the Trump administration to explain why birth-tourism concerns should influence the Supreme Court\u2019s decision on birthright citizenship. He questioned what relevance such claims have to the legal issues in Trump v. Barbara, which challenges President Trump\u2019s plan to limit birthright citizenship under the 14th Amendment to children born in the United States to at least one U.S. citizen or permanent resident. Solicitor General D. John Sauer faced tough questions as the justices appeared skeptical of the administration\u2019s position. Roberts cited the DOJ\u2019s briefing that birth tourism stems from a liberal reading of birthright citizenship and asked for data on how common it is. Sauer cited estimates of more than a million Chinese birth tourists and noted Miami as a hotspot for Russian birth tourism, among other examples, and argued that those concerns affect the legal analysis. Roberts acknowledged that birth tourism wasn\u2019t a problem at the amendment\u2019s ratification but pressed that we live in a modern world where travel makes U.S. citizenship more accessible; Sauer countered that the Constitution\u2019s framework remains the same. Justice Brett Kavanaugh also questioned the relevance of international comparisons to U.S. law, emphasizing the need to interpret American law using American precedent. The exchanges underscored the justices\u2019 skepticism toward the DOJ\u2019s arguments, and they did not appear convinced by the ACLU\u2019s push to strike down the executive order. The Court is expected to rule on birthright citizenship by the end of June, alongside other pending cases, as Trump observers watched from the gallery.<\/p>\n<p>55-character version:<br \/>\nRoberts questions birth-tourism relevance in birthright<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2638,"featured_media":2586258,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/AP26076699442789.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651,538],"tags":[76985,74405,71026,76003,70735],"class_list":["post-2586257","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","category-washington-examiner","tag-birth-tourism","tag-birthright-citizenship-2","tag-immigration-law-2","tag-john-roberts-2","tag-supreme-court-2"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/AP26076699442789.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2586257","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2638"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2586257"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2586257\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2586261,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2586257\/revisions\/2586261"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2586258"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2586257"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2586257"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2586257"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}