Americans back birthright citizenship 2-to-1, poll finds

By Brett Rowland
The Center Square

A majority of U.S. adults say children born in the country should automatically get citizenship, according to a new poll published as the U.S. Supreme Court prepares to rule on President Donald Trump’s effort to end the practice.

The Reuters/Ipsos poll, conducted April 15-20, found that 64% of Americans support maintaining birthright citizenship, while 32% said citizenship should not automatically be granted at birth. The survey collected responses from 4,557 U.S. adults and has a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points.

The results come weeks after the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Trump v. Barbara, a challenge to Trump’s January 2025 executive order that would deny citizenship to children born in the U.S. unless at least one parent is a citizen or permanent legal resident. A ruling is expected before the end of the court’s term in late June.

Public opinion on the issue breaks sharply along party lines. Nine percent of Democrats say birthright citizenship should be scrapped, compared with 62% of Republicans. Independents are divided, with 66% saying the policy should stand and 26% saying it should not.

Support for birthright citizenship crosses racial lines. Among Black and Hispanic adults polled separately, 74% said they believe the policy should be upheld. Fifty-eight percent of white adults agreed. Opposition was highest among white respondents, at 39%, compared with 22% of Hispanic respondents and 19% of Black respondents.

The Supreme Court heard oral arguments April 1. Several justices expressed skepticism of the administration’s position during the hearing. Chief Justice John Roberts questioned how the government could move from narrow historical exceptions to the citizenship rule, such as children of diplomats or invading armies, to exclude the entire class of children born to parents in the country illegally.

Trump attended the oral arguments in person, a first for a sitting president. He has since said publicly that he expects the court to rule against him.

“If they rule against our Country on Birthright Citizenship, which they probably will, it will cost America massive amounts of money but, more importantly, it will cost America its DIGNITY!” Trump wrote on social media earlier this month.

Trump’s executive order was blocked by four federal judges before the Supreme Court stepped in last June, ruling 6-3 to limit the scope of nationwide injunctions against the policy. The court did not rule on the merits of the order at that time.

The 14th Amendment grants citizenship to “all persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof.” Trump’s administration has argued the phrase “subject to the jurisdiction thereof” excludes children of those in the country illegally or on temporary visas.