'America was built by immigrants'  Sen. Tammy Duckworth hails birthright citizenship decision

Since President Donald Trump lost his decade-long bid to end birthright citizenship, his supporters' zeal and the administration’s opposition to illegal immigration haven't diminished, but it’s being redirected into hate and policies targeting women who come to the U.S. to give birth. Amidst all the negativity, Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth hailed the court's decision, reassuring Americans that no amount of hate can ever undo the contributions made by immigrants to the country.

Following the court's decision, social media was quickly filled with hateful messages, with many urging so-called patriots to report any foreign pregnant woman to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Amidst this, Duckworth took to X to slam all those who are spreading hate. "Trump's attack on birthright citizenship was an affront to our nation's ideals—not to mention blatantly unconstitutional," the Illinois Senator and combat veteran wrote in her post. "America was built by immigrants. It still is. No amount of hate will ever change that."

While Democrats have celebrated the decision,  White House aides and allies have already discussed several policy options to curtail birthright citizenship, Politico reported, citing administration officials and sources close to the administration. As per the publication, the suggestions range from prosecuting organizations or individuals involved in “birth tourism schemes” or charging women already in the country for fraud to bar the entry of pregnant women into the country entirely.  

Trump launched his efforts to end birthright citizenship the day he took office with an executive order. The administration used the threat of “birth tourism” as the rationale for ending the practice of granting automatic citizenship to children born on U.S. soil, and the same has come up again after the court's decision. Shortly after the ruling, the Justice Department released a memo urging U.S. attorneys to work with DHS and “prioritize the investigation and prosecution of birth tourism schemes.”

The memo says “thousands of foreigners” travel to the U.S. under “pretenses to give birth and secure citizenship for their child,” as per Politico. While the government doesn't track the number of children born to foreigners in the U.S., outside estimates show up to 26,000 babies born in the U.S. annually could be attributed to women coming to the U.S. solely to give birth. The number represents a fraction of the over 3.5 million babies born in the U.S., according to the non-partisan Migration Policy Institute.

While the memo came in the immediate aftermath of the ruling, one of the Trump-appointed justices, Brett Kavanaugh, has also laid out a roadmap for Republicans for pursuing the goal of ending birthright citizenship through Congress. While he voted with the 6-3 majority agreeing that the  Executive Order 14160, which restricts automatic citizenship to people born to U.S. citizens or permanent residents, couldn't take effect, in his concurring opinion he pointed out a different path exists, Fox News reported.

He argued that Trump couldn't use an executive order to change a law Congress had already passed, but he suggested that Congress could instead rewrite the law to limit birthright citizenship.  "Congress could — consistent with the Fourteenth Amendment—amend §1401(a) or otherwise enact new legislation establishing exceptions to birthright citizenship for children born to foreign citizens unlawfully or temporarily in the country," he wrote.