The Trump administration is reportedly planning to unveil a rule this week aimed at cracking down on “birth tourism” — a term referring to pregnant women travelling to the U.S. in order to give birth and secure U.S. citizenship for their child.
Three officials told Axios on Sunday that the plan will be unveiled in the days ahead, though it was unclear what enforcement mechanism would be utilized by the administration to prevent birth tourism.
President Trump has previously threatened to issue executive orders nullifying birthright citizenship, which is enshrined in the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution.
“This change is intended to address the national security and law enforcement risks associated with birth tourism, including criminal activity associated with the birth tourism industry,” one State Department official told Axios.
One senior U.S. official indicated to the news outlet that the rule set to be unveiled is just the first part in the process of cracking down on the practice.
“Rome wasn’t built in a day,” the senior official told Axios. “Just the legal recognition that this is improper and wrong and not allowed is a significant step forward.”
Trump first indicated his desire to end birthright citizenship days before the 2018 midterm elections, and at the time received pushback from both congressional Republicans and Democrats over the idea, which they said would require a constitutional amendment.
“I am not a lawyer, but it seems to me it would take a constitutional amendment to change that as opposed to an executive order,” Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) said at the time.
The Hill has reached out to the White House for comment.
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