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After winning the US elections, Donald Trump is going to be the President for four years. He will take oath as President on January 20, 2025. But on the very first day of assuming power, he has made it clear on which issues he will take action.
The increasing number of people coming to the United States from other countries, both legally and illegally, has long been a topic of debate. Trump had also promised to solve this problem during the election campaign. Now he has announced that he will abolish the birthright citizenship rule. This means that now people born in America will not get automatic citizenship. This decision of Trump has increased the concern of millions of Indians and people of Indian origin. After all, what is this birthright citizenship and what impact will it have on India?
What is birthright citizenship?
There are different ways to get citizenship in every country of the world. For example, if we talk about India, children of Indian citizens are automatically considered citizens of India. Similarly, US law states that anyone born on US soil is considered a US citizen.
Citizenship laws in the United States were changed under the 14th Amendment by Congress in July 1868 after the Civil War. The amendment guaranteed citizenship to everyone, including blacks, regardless of whether the child’s parents came to the US legally or illegally.
An important case in the history of citizenship by birth came in 1898, when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Wong Kim Ark, born to Chinese immigrants in San Francisco, was an American citizen. Because he was born in America.
What does Trump care?
Donald Trump calls these rules nonsense and advocates their repeal. Over the decades, millions of people from many countries have taken advantage of this law and obtained US citizenship. Originally its provisions were made to grant Indian citizenship to those who were formerly slaves and to their future generations.
Donald Trump and his supporters believe that this rule is being misused. Therefore, there is a need to make strict rules to become an American citizen. This issue was also raised during Trump’s first term, but no specific steps were taken in this direction at that time.
What will be the impact on India?
If Donald Trump cancels these rules, millions of people will be affected. According to media reports, around 4.8 million Indian-Americans will be affected, as 1.6 million of them were born in the US alone. In such a situation, due to this new rule of Donald Trump, these people will no longer be American citizens. Trump also believes the same. He also said that once the rules are lifted, families will be separated and those who do not have citizenship could be sent back to their home countries.
In a 2011 fact sheet, the US Immigration Council warned that eliminating birthright citizenship would make it more difficult for US citizens to prove their citizenship. Because at present citizenship is proved only by birth certificate. The fact sheet also states that rescinding the rule would affect millions of American children and impose an administrative burden on the US government.
In which countries citizenship is obtained by birthright?
Not only America, there are about 30 countries where citizenship is given on the basis of birth right. Many countries continue to offer this right, such as Canada, Argentina, Bolivia, Ecuador, Fiji, Guatemala, Cuba, and Venezuela. But in many places there is more strictness in this matter. In many countries, for citizenship to take place, both parents of the child must be from that country. Most legal experts believe that this amendment cannot be changed unless the Constitution itself is amended. This requires the support of both Congress and the states.