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Sen. Rand Paul introduces amendment undoing automatic birthright citizenship

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., speaks during a Senate Homeland Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Tom Brenner)
Tom Brenner/AP
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FR117851 AP
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., speaks during a Senate Homeland Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Tom Brenner)

Kentucky U.S. Sen. Rand Paul is proposing a constitutional amendment that would do away with automatic birthright citizenship for children of undocumented immigrants.

In a statement, the senator said the current interpretation of the 14th amendment is not aligned with the authors' intent, adding that, while legal immigration is valuable and should be protected, U.S. generosity has been "exploited too often." Under Paul's amendment, only children born to legal residents would receive automatic citizenship.

Paul said he's pushing for the amendment "in case the Supreme Court fails to address the issue correctly."

President Trump signed an Executive Order rolling back birthright citizenship on his first day in office. Lower courts have since blocked Trump's order from taking effect, but now the issue is before the high court with a decision expected by the end of June.