Vice President JD Vance has condemned the Supreme Court’s ruling on birthright citizenship, labeling it a "major, major mistake" that could encourage individuals to exploit the U.S. immigration system.
The Supreme Court's decision affirmed that the Constitution guarantees automatic U.S. citizenship for most individuals born within the country, rejecting an effort by the Trump administration to end the practice. Vance stated his respect for the ruling but conveyed his strong disagreement.
"This is a very disappointing ruling from the Supreme Court," Vance said in an interview. "Of course, we respect it, but we also think that it was a major, major mistake."
He suggested the ruling could invite people to enter the U.S. with the sole purpose of giving birth, thereby securing citizenship for their children and families. "One of the things that might invite is people to come here quite literally on a vacation, give birth and then all of a sudden, the child and their family have the full benefits of American citizenship. It's just a preposterous ruling."
The Supreme Court's decision struck down Executive Order 14160, finding it conflicted with the 14th Amendment’s guarantee of birthright citizenship. This means that children born in the U.S. will continue to receive citizenship irrespective of their parents' immigration status.
Vance noted a potential "silver lining," suggesting the court's narrow opinion indicates that the concept of birthright citizenship is becoming increasingly vulnerable. He mentioned that many legal experts had anticipated a more decisive ruling against birthright citizenship.
Expressing his opposition to birthright citizenship, which has been a constitutional right for over 150 years, Vance argued it rewards undocumented immigrants. "I hate to call it birthright citizenship," he stated. "It's fundamentally a loophole that now exists in our immigration system that rewards illegal aliens just because they have a baby in the United States while they're in our country illegally."
The administration is reportedly considering various strategies to address the ruling. Among these possibilities are potential restrictions concerning U.S. territories, such as the Northern Mariana Islands, located in the western Pacific.
Concerns have previously been raised by senior administration officials about individuals traveling to these islands specifically to give birth and obtain U.S. citizenship for their children, a practice often referred to as "birth tourism."
"We actually have an opportunity to reverse this decision, just as we reverse so many bad decisions throughout the generations," Vance said. "We've got to fix the immigration system even more. We have to be even more aware of who's coming into our country to make sure that they're not benefiting from this atrocious Supreme Court ruling."