The Trump Administration Pushes Again To Restrict Birthright Citizenship. What Does That Mean?

The Trump administration is pushing for the the U.S. Supreme Court to allow some restrictions on birthright citizenship even as legal battles continue over President Donald Trump's orders to end what has long been seen as a constitutional promise.

On Thursday, the administration filed emergency applications with the high court that would allow citizenship to be denied to people born in the U.S. after Feb. 19 if their parents are in the country illegally.

District judges in Maryland , Massachusetts and Washington have blocked the order, which Trump signed shortly after taking office in January. It is currently blocked nationwide.

Birthright citizenship automatically makes anyone born in the United States an American citizen, including children born to mothers in the country illegally. The right was enshrined soon after the Civil War in the Constitution's 14th Amendment .

Trump and his supporters have argued that there should be tougher standards for becoming an American citizen, which he called "a priceless and profound gift" in his executive order.