President Donald Trump’s latest executive order to end birthright citizenship has sparked a national uproar, with Rosie O’Donnell thrust into the center of the debate. The move is already facing fierce opposition from both legal and political fronts.
Trump’s order, signed in January, denies automatic citizenship to children born in the U.S. to undocumented immigrants or parents on temporary visas. The policy is scheduled to take effect on February 20, 2025, unless it is blocked by the courts.
Can Trump’s executive order really end birthright citizenship?
Legal experts are divided on whether a president can unilaterally change the interpretation of the 14th Amendment. The amendment has long been understood to grant citizenship to nearly everyone born on U.S. soil.
Trump’s order reinterprets the phrase “subject to the jurisdiction thereof” to exclude children born to undocumented immigrants and those with temporary status. Multiple lawsuits have already been filed to challenge the order’s constitutionality.
Did you know?
The principle of birthright citizenship in the U.S. has been in place since the ratification of the 14th Amendment in 1868, guaranteeing citizenship to nearly all born on American soil.
Will Rosie O’Donnell’s case become a legal flashpoint?
Rosie O’Donnell, a vocal Trump critic who recently moved to Ireland, has become a symbolic figure in the controversy. Trump’s public threats to revoke her citizenship have drawn widespread condemnation and raised questions about the personal impact of the executive order.
Although O’Donnell was born in the U.S. and is not directly impacted by the new order, her situation is igniting a debate about presidential power and the rights of American citizens.
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What does the executive order change about citizenship rules
The order, titled “Protecting the Meaning and Value of American Citizenship,” denies citizenship to children born after February 20, 2025, if neither parent is a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident at the time of birth.
This marks a dramatic shift from over a century of legal precedent. The executive branch has instructed federal agencies to stop issuing citizenship documents to affected children, but the order is not retroactive and applies only to births after the effective date.
Legal experts and politicians react to Trump’s move
Civil rights groups, constitutional scholars, and lawmakers from both parties have voiced strong opposition. Many argue that only Congress or the courts can alter the meaning of the 14th Amendment, not the executive branch alone.
Federal judges have already blocked enforcement of the order. At the same time, legal challenges proceed, whether Trump's attempt to reshape birthright citizenship stands or falls will be determined by the Supreme Court's eventual ruling, which will have implications for millions and the very definition of American identity.
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