Kathrine Frich
Trump demanded immediate legislative action.
Losing a major battle on the biggest legal stage in the country would force most leaders to retreat and regroup. ‘
But when a highly anticipated Supreme Court ruling completely rejected a signature immigration policy, one prominent political figure immediately demanded a brand new fight.
Searching for a loophole
President Donald Trump recently suffered a major defeat when the US Supreme Court struck down his attempt to end birthright citizenship. However, he quickly brushed off the massive loss.
Instead of accepting the ruling, the president publicly called on Congress to pass new legislation containing the exact same strict provisions.
“The Supreme Court upheld Birthright Citizenship, which is too bad for our Country, but we can easily make it up in Congress through Legislation,” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform.
The original executive order attempted to deny automatic citizenship to children born in the US if their parents were temporary visitors or undocumented immigrants.
Facing a massive roadblock
While Trump demanded immediate legislative action, political experts agree that the proposed path is practically impossible right now.
According to NBC News, Republicans only hold 53 seats in the Senate. A bill addressing birthright citizenship would require 60 votes to break a filibuster, making it dead on arrival without significant Democratic support.
Furthermore, five of the six justices who struck down the order ruled that it directly violated the 14th Amendment of the Constitution. That means a simple congressional law would likely be struck down again.
Changing the Constitution itself would require a massive two-thirds majority vote in both houses of Congress, followed by ratification from three-fourths of all state legislatures.
A divided reaction
The ruling marked a significant blow to the administration’s hard-line immigration agenda.
White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller blasted the judicial decision online. He called it “one of the most destructive and outrageous decisions in the long history of the Supreme Court.”
Meanwhile, Democratic leaders across the country celebrated the legal victory. They praised the court for protecting a fundamental constitutional right.
“As we approach the 250th anniversary of our nation’s founding, we stand united in rejecting Trump’s dangerous and exclusionary vision of America,” several minority caucus chairs stated in a joint message.
Sources: NBC News, Truth Social
