A look at birthright citizenship as President Trump makes another attempt to end the practice

Data Journalist

Data Visualization Journalist

WASHINGTON —

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday in another attempt to restrict birthright citizenship.

The president’s first attempt at restricting birthright citizenship was struck down in June after the Supreme Court upheld a broad conception of it. The first executive order was signed on Trump’s first day in office more than a year ago.

Birthright citizenship means that a person born in a country, regardless of their parents’ immigration status, is automatically a citizen of that country. It is protected in the U.S. by the 14th Amendment.

The new order narrows the scope of Trump’s first attempt, which declared that children born to people who are in the U.S. illegally or temporarily are not citizens. Instead, it focuses on children of specific groups of people, including those connected to foreign embassies, employed by other countries’ governments, and more.

Which countries have birthright citizenship?

Birthright citizenship is offered in more than 30 countries without restrictions.

Most of the countries that allow for birthright citizenship are concentrated in North and South America.

Both U.S. neighbors, Canada and Mexico, allow unrestricted birthright citizenship, as do all but two countries in South America.

In the Eastern Hemisphere, Lesotho, Tanzania and Pakistan are among the countries that grant automatic citizenship to those born on their soil.