President Donald Trump said he will seek to limit the right of citizenship for certain children born in the United States in a new bid to dramatically reshape immigration policies that was likely to spark a congressional battle.
Seeking to shore up support for Republicans ahead of the congressional elections next week, Trump told the Axios news website he would try to end the right of citizenship for US-born children of non-citizens and illegal immigrants.
The president said in an interview published on Tuesday that he would make the move through an executive order but citizenship is granted to US-born children under the 14th Amendment of the Constitution, which cannot be changed by the president. That would require action by Congress and US states.
One member of Congress, Republican US Senator Lindsey Graham said he would move forward to introduce legislation "along the same lines" as Trump's order. Neither Graham nor Trump gave any details about the plan, and the White House did not respond to a request for comment.
Vice President Mike Pence said the plan may not be unconstitutional, telling Politico in an interview that while "we all cherish" the 14th amendment, the nation's top court has not weighed in on the issue entirely.
A pregnant woman from Honduras is released from detention with other undocumented immigrants at a bus depot in McAllen, Texas, US. July 28, 2018 file picture