US Supreme Court Upholds Birthright Citizenship, Relief for Indians
HYDERABAD: The US Supreme Court has upheld birthright citizenship, reaffirming that nearly everyone born on American soil is entitled to US citizenship. The ruling preserves a constitutional guarantee that has shaped American identity for more than 150 years.
Supreme Court rejects Trump’s executive order
In a 6-3 verdict, the Supreme Court struck down an executive order issued by President Donald Trump on the first day of his second term.
The order aimed to deny automatic US citizenship to children born in the United States if their parents were living in the country illegally or staying temporarily, including tourists.
The judgment marks the first major immigration policy of Trump’s second term to receive a final ruling from the Supreme Court.
Major relief for Indian families in the US
The verdict brings significant relief to the Indian-American community, one of the fastest-growing immigrant groups in the United States.
Hundreds of thousands of Indians live in the US on H-1B work visas, L-1 intra-company transfer visas and F-1 student visas. More than one million Indians also remain in the employment-based green card queue. As a result, immigration and citizenship policies directly affect a large section of the community.
Available data shows that around 3.2 million documented Indian immigrants live in the United States. They make up the country’s second-largest immigrant group. Indians also form the third-largest undocumented immigrant population after migrants from Mexico and El Salvador, with an estimated 725,000 undocumented immigrants.
The ruling ensures that children born in the United States to Indian nationals on temporary visas, including H-1B professionals, students and visitors, will continue to receive automatic US citizenship at birth.
The judgment also protects the citizenship rights of children born to undocumented Indian immigrants.
Legal experts say the decision preserves a long-standing interpretation of the US Constitution. They believe it also provides certainty to millions of immigrant families, including a large number of Indians living and working in the United States.
Supreme Court allows states to ban transgender athletes from women’s sports
In a separate ruling, the Supreme Court said states can prohibit transgender athletes from competing in women’s sports.
The court held that such restrictions do not violate the Constitution’s Equal Protection Clause.
Earlier, the Supreme Court also struck down global tariffs imposed by the Trump administration under an emergency powers law. The court ruled that the law did not give the administration the authority to impose those tariffs.
Trump criticised the justices after that decision. He said he was disappointed with the verdict and accused them of acting against the country’s interests.
