Senator Eric Schmitt is seeking to curb “birth tourism” and remove automatic US citizenship from children born to foreign diplomats. The proposal targets interpretations of the Fourteenth Amendment’s birthright-citizenship guarantee and would intensify the political and legal debate over immigration policy.

The article frames the initiative alongside a recent Supreme Court decision concerning President Donald Trump’s efforts to clarify birthright citizenship. Supporters argue that tighter border enforcement and legislation could reduce people travelling to the US to give birth, while the measure would face constitutional scrutiny because the Fourteenth Amendment has long been understood to grant citizenship to most people born in the country.