On his first day in office, U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order altering the criteria for granting citizenship to children born in the United States, CNN reported.
According to the news release cited in the report, the order prohibits federal agencies from issuing specific documents typically given to U.S. citizens.
The order is set to take effect within 30 days and will apply to children born after its implementation. It targets cases where parents are in the U.S. illegally or where the mother is in the country temporarily — such as on a visa — and the father is not a U.S. citizen.
The executive order is based on the interpretation of the phrase "subject to the jurisdiction" found in the 14th Amendment to the Constitution.
Advocates of stricter immigration policies argue that children of undocumented immigrants do not fall under U.S. jurisdiction as outlined in the amendment and therefore should not be granted citizenship.
As reported by Ukrinform, Trump also signed an executive order withdrawing the United States from the World Health Organization on his first day in office.
