More than 30 countries grant unrestricted birthright citizenship based on the ‘jus soli’ principle – and nearly all of them are in the Western Hemisphere. The reason is more complicated than you might think.

A president cannot amend the Constitution by himself, and a Trump order to end birthright citizenship would doubtless face lawsuits. During his first term, he promised to end birthright citizenship but took little action to do so.

The president issued several actions related to the border or immigration, including ramping up deportations and suspending refugee resettlement.