How the 14th Amendment's Promise of Citizenship to Freed Slaves Became Today's Immigration Battleground
Trump's Executive Order Targets Constitutional Principle Rooted in Post-Civil War Justice WASHINGTON — When President Donald Trump signed an executive order on his first day back in office targeting birthright citizenship, he challenged a constitutional principle that has defined American identity for more than 150 years. The order, currently blocked by federal courts, aims to deny citizenship to children born in the United States to undocumented immigrants or those on temporary visas — a dramatic departure from the 14th Amendment's original promise to ensure that freed slaves and their descendants could never again be denied American citizenship. The constitutional clash represents a fundamental question about who belongs in America, with roots that stretch back to the aftermath of the Civil War and one Chinese immigrant's fight for recognition as an American citizen. The 14th Amendment's Revolutionary Purpose and Its Framers' Intent Ratified on Ju...