Attorney General Bird Leads 20 States in Defending President Trump’s Executive Order on Birthright Citizenship

DES MOINES—Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird today led a brief defending President Trump’s executive order on protecting the meaning and value of American citizenship.

In 2023, 7% of all births in the U.S. were to illegal aliens—and taxpayers are on the hook to pay for it through Medicaid, children’s health insurance, and healthcare for the accompanying family. Reports show that women have even been crossing the southern border the day before or day of giving birth so that their child will receive birthright citizenship—with some going into labor fresh from swimming across the Rio Grande river.

Day one in office, President Trump signed an executive order to end the birthright citizenship loophole for birth tourism and illegal aliens. This order follows record illegal crossings on the southern border under the Biden-Harris administration that allowed convicted criminals, violent gang members, and suspected terrorists to invade the country. The executive order eliminates the incentive for illegal immigration by reserving birthright citizenship for children born in the United States to American citizens or legal noncitizens like lawful permanent residents.

“No one should be rewarded for breaking the law,” said Attorney General Bird. “It’s a major problem that so many illegal aliens and foreign tourists have traveled to our great nation —especially from China—just to have an anchor baby. And then they put American taxpayers on the hook to pay for it. I’m defending President Trump’s executive order that closes the birthright citizenship loophole and eliminates this dangerous incentive for illegal immigration.”

Iowa has been leading a strong coalition of states in the fight to defend President Trump’s executive order since the very beginning. The States make the case that President Trump’s executive order is constitutional and follows the original meaning of the 14th Amendment. The 14th Amendment has a two-part test for granting American citizenship:

• Was the individual born or naturalized into the United States?
• Is that individual subject to the “jurisdiction” of the United States?

The brief describes how only children born to American citizens or legal noncitizens like lawful permanent residents pass both parts of the test.

Iowa led the brief and was joined by 19 other states, including Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming.

Read the full brief here.

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For More Information:

Alyssa Brouillet | Communications Director

515-823-9112

alyssa.brouillet@ag.iowa.gov