Washington DC [US], June 30 (ANI): Speaker of the United States House of Representatives Mike Johnson on Tuesday expressed disappointment after the US Supreme Court upheld birthright citizenship, striking down an executive order by President Donald Trump aimed at restricting automatic citizenship for children born in the country to non-citizen parents.
Speaking during a press conference, Johnson reacted in real time to the court's ruling and said he disagreed with the outcome, calling for further legislative debate on the issue.
"I am sure there's going to be lots of discussion about that. I will say I'm very disappointed in that outcome. I think it subjects the country to serious challenges going forward, and we'll have to deal with it as a Congress," Johnson said.
The Supreme Court ruling upheld the principle of birthright citizenship, affirming that children born in the United States to parents who are unlawfully or temporarily present are entitled to automatic US citizenship under the Citizenship Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.
Johnson argued that the provision has been misused in recent years, referring to what he described as "birth tourism" and claiming it has placed strain on US systems.
"I do think that this has been grossly abused in recent years," he said, adding that the practice allows individuals to travel to the US specifically to give birth in order to secure citizenship for their children.
He further said the original intent of the provision had been "thwarted and overused and abused" and suggested that resolving the issue would likely require a constitutional amendment, which he noted is a lengthy and complex process.
"It's one of those things that was intended to serve a noble and important purpose and has been thwarted and overused and abused," he said.
Johnson also noted that amending the US Constitution requires broad political consensus, including approval by two-thirds of the US Congress and ratification by three-fourths of the US states, making such changes difficult.
The ruling came as the Supreme Court struck down the executive order associated with Trump, with the majority reaffirming that the Fourteenth Amendment guarantees citizenship to those born on US soil, consistent with earlier precedents.
While some conservative justices dissented, the court's decision was welcomed by civil rights groups, who called it a relief for immigrant communities across the country. (ANI)
