US Supreme Court upholds birthright citizenship, strikes down Trumps executive order| Why ruling is relief for Indians
The birthright citizenship order is one of the orders that Trump signed on the first day of his second term, significantly part of his broader immigration crackdown.
PTC News Desk: In a significant development, the US Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld birthright citizenship, striking down President Donald Trump's executive order declaring that children born to parents who are in the United States illegally or temporarily are not American citizens, providing them constitutional protection.
The Supreme Court's ruling means that children born in the United States to Indian parents on H-1B visas will automatically receive US citizenship, even if their parents may have to wait many years to become citizens themselves. The decision also applies to children born to Indians living in the US on other temporary visas, such as student or visitor visas, giving them citizenship and the right to live in the country for life.
The ruling also guarantees birthright citizenship for children born in the US to undocumented Indian immigrants.
In a 6-3 ruling, the US Supreme Court rejected President Donald Trump's executive order, signed the first day of his second administration, which sought to end birthright citizenship for the children of parents present in the country illegally and for tourists visiting only temporarily.
The birthright citizenship order is one of the orders that Trump signed on the first day of his second term, significantly part of his broader immigration crackdown.
The Justices relied on a long-settled understanding of the 14th Amendment, adopted after the Civil War, and more recent federal laws in ruling that anyone born in the country, with very limited exceptions, is a citizen.
Trump's restrictions had been blocked by several lower courts and had not taken effected anywhere in the US.
Why ruling is a relief for Indians?
The ruling is especially important for the Indian-American community, which is one of the fastest-growing immigrant groups in the United States. Many Indians live in the US on H-1B work visas, L-1 company transfer visas, and F-1 student visas. More than a million Indians are also waiting for employment-based green cards, making immigration and citizenship policies a major concern for the community.
According to available data, around 3.2 million legal Indian immigrants live in the United States, making them the country's second-largest immigrant group. In addition, Indians are the third-largest undocumented immigrant population in the US, after people from Mexico and El Salvador. It is estimated that about 725,000 undocumented Indian immigrants are currently living in the country.
The Supreme Court's ruling means that children born in the United States to Indian parents on H-1B visas will automatically receive US citizenship, even if their parents may have to wait many years to become citizens themselves. The decision also applies to children born to Indians living in the US on other temporary visas, such as student or visitor visas, giving them citizenship and the right to live in the country for life.
The ruling also guarantees birthright citizenship for children born in the US to undocumented Indian immigrants.