A fresh Reuters/Ipsos survey released Monday reveals that nearly two-thirds of U.S. adults—64 percent—believe children born on American soil should automatically receive citizenship, a sharp rebuke to President Trump’s executive order challenging the 14th Amendment’s guarantee.
The poll, conducted April 15-20 among 4,557 adults, found only 32 percent oppose the long-standing principle of jus soli, or “right of the soil.” The margin of error is plus or minus 2 percentage points. The results come weeks after the Supreme Court heard oral arguments on the constitutionality of Trump’s January 2025 directive, which would limit birthright citizenship to children with at least one parent who is a citizen or permanent legal resident. A ruling is expected before the court’s term ends in late June.
The divide is starkly partisan. Ninety percent of Democrats and 66 percent of independents want birthright citizenship to remain untouched, compared with just 36 percent of Republicans. In contrast, 62 percent of GOP respondents said citizenship should not be automatic at birth, while only 9 percent of Democrats and 26 percent of independents agreed. Notably, 8 percent of independents skipped the question, far more than the 2 percent of Republicans or 1 percent of Democrats who did so.
Racial breakdowns show majority support across all groups: 74 percent of Black and Hispanic adults, along with 58 percent of white respondents, favor upholding birthright citizenship. However, 39 percent of white participants, 22 percent of Hispanics, and 19 percent of Black individuals opposed it. A small share—6 percent of Black and 4 percent each of white and Hispanic respondents—declined to answer.
Legal scholars remain divided on whether Trump’s order can survive judicial scrutiny. Many argue that altering the 14th Amendment’s Citizenship Clause requires a constitutional amendment, not executive action. The president, however, has framed the issue as a national security threat and a misinterpretation of the Constitution. In his executive order, Trump wrote: “The Fourteenth Amendment has never been interpreted to extend citizenship universally to everyone born within the United States.” He added, “The Fourteenth Amendment has always excluded from birthright citizenship persons who were born in the United States but not ‘subject to the jurisdiction thereof.’”
The debate echoes broader tensions over immigration and national identity, with the Trump administration pressing a hardline agenda. Meanwhile, the Justice Department has ramped up efforts to strip citizenship from naturalized immigrants, a policy shift that has drawn criticism from civil liberties groups. The Supreme Court’s eventual decision could reshape the legal landscape for millions of families.
As the court deliberates, the poll underscores that a clear majority of Americans—across party and racial lines—remain committed to the principle that birthplace confers citizenship, a bedrock of U.S. law since 1868.
