Vice President JD Vance is warning that the Supreme Court’s birthright citizenship ruling could turn America’s immigration system into an even bigger magnet for abuse.
Vance used his Tuesday Fox News appearance to cast the decision as a blow to President Donald Trump’s immigration agenda and a gift to those looking for citizenship loopholes.
“This is a very disappointing ruling from the Supreme Court,” Vance said on “The Ingraham Angle.”
“Of course, we respect it, but we also think that it was a major, major mistake.”
The ruling left intact the 14th Amendment interpretation that grants citizenship to most children born on U.S. soil.
Vance: The fact that this case was a 5-4 decision effectively means that the concept of birthright citizenship is hanging by a thread. We actually have an opportunity to reverse this decision just as we've reversed so many bad decisions throughout the generations. pic.twitter.com/KaDH3qAVQR
— Acyn (@Acyn) June 30, 2026
Chief Justice John Roberts Jr., Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett, and the court’s three liberals formed the 6-3 majority in Trump v. Barbara.
Trump’s executive order tried to carve children of parents without permanent legal status out of the birthright citizenship guarantee.
For Vance, the ruling opened the door to what he framed as an obvious immigration loophole.
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“One of the things that might invite is people to come here quite literally on a vacation, give birth and then all of a sudden, the child and their family have the full benefits of American citizenship. It’s just a preposterous ruling,” he remarked.
The court struck down Trump’s Executive Order 14160, finding that it conflicted with the 14th Amendment.
The decision keeps automatic citizenship in place for most U.S.-born children, even when their parents lack legal status.
Vance tried to find one advantage in the defeat, arguing that the vote count showed the doctrine was no longer politically or legally untouchable.
“A lot of legal experts expected this case to go the wrong direction by 7–2, or even 8–1,” Vance explained.
The result, Vance said, “effectively means that the concept of birthright citizenship, which is an absurdity to the 14th Amendment — that concept is hanging by a thread.”
Vance rejected the phrase itself during the Fox News interview.
“I hate to call it birthright citizenship,” he added. “It’s fundamentally a loophole that now exists in our immigration system that rewards illegal aliens just because they have a baby in the United States while they’re in our country illegally.”
“We actually have an opportunity to reverse this decision, just as we reverse so many bad decisions throughout the generations,” he continued.
Vance said the ruling should intensify the administration’s immigration push.
“We’ve got to fix the immigration system even more,” he noted. “We have to be even more aware of who’s coming into our country to make sure that they’re not benefiting from this atrocious Supreme Court ruling.”
Trump responded to the defeat with mock congratulations for China.
“I would like to congratulate President Xi, and the Great Country of China, on their massive Birthright Citizenship WIN!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
The president then turned his frustration toward Congress, arguing lawmakers could end birthright citizenship without a constitutional amendment.
“The Supreme Court upheld Birthright Citizenship, which is too bad for our Country, but we can easily make it up in Congress through Legislation, with the support of the President, that has now been determined during this process,” Trump posted.
I will reintroduce this exact bill when I return to DC. Let’s see how today’s DC Democrats will vote when offered the ideas of the Democrat party that used to love this country and the American people! https://t.co/ezw50vEaoD
— Bernie Moreno (@berniemoreno) June 30, 2026
“No long and unwieldy Constitutional Amendment is necessary!” he continued. “Congress should start TODAY to work on ending expensive and unfair to our Country, Birthright Citizenship. They will have my Complete and Total Support!”
Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, reached back to a 1993 Harry Reid proposal as a way to pressure modern Democrats on the issue.
“I will reintroduce this exact bill when I return to DC,” Moreno tweeted. “Let’s see how today’s DC Democrats will vote when offered the ideas of the Democrat party that used to love this country and the American people!”
Moreno’s revived Immigration Stabilization Act of 2026 would narrow parts of the legal immigration system while spelling out birthright citizenship limits.
The measure also targets visa categories, including employment-based immigrant visas and family-preference rules.
Other Republicans are pushing for a more permanent fix. Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., has pushed both a constitutional amendment and legislation aimed at blocking automatic citizenship for children of illegal immigrants, terrorists and foreign spies.
“Birthright citizenship was never intended to benefit illegal immigrants,” Cotton said.
“There is no constitutional right for illegal aliens to cross the border to gain citizenship for their children. Granting birthright citizenship to illegal aliens has contributed to the highest levels of illegal immigration in history. Fixing this will help reduce the damage from Joe Biden’s catastrophic border crisis,” he stated in a press release.
Birthright citizenship was never intended to benefit illegal immigrants.
Following today’s ruling, Congress should pass my Constitutional Citizenship Act to ensure only the children of those here lawfully are granted citizenship.
— Tom Cotton (@SenTomCotton) June 30, 2026
His bill would rewrite the Immigration and Nationality Act to exclude children whose parents fall into categories such as unlawful presence, diplomatic status or hostile activity against the U.S.
The measure is co-sponsored by Republican Sens. Kevin Cramer of North Dakota, Bill Hagerty of Tennessee and Moreno.
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., has filed a separate joint resolution to amend the Constitution and end automatic birthright citizenship.
“Under current interpretations of American law, anyone born on American soil automatically becomes a U.S. citizen, regardless of whether the parent was here legally or not,” Paul posted on social media.
“This is wrong and not at all the intent of those who wrote the 14th Amendment.”
Paul argued that immigration can be valuable while still requiring tighter limits on automatic citizenship.
The Supreme Court’s decision on birthright citizenship is disappointing. That’s why I've already filed an amendment to end birthright citizenship for those here illegally. I’ll keep fighting to protect the integrity of American citizenship. https://t.co/XwfqjAVW9d pic.twitter.com/oNDlvisntr
— Senator Rand Paul (@SenRandPaul) June 30, 2026
“We are a country filled with immigrants, and legal immigration is valuable and should be protected,” Paul pointed out.
“But we are also a country whose borders have been too open and our generosity exploited too often. President Trump has moved to seal our border from illegal immigrants more than any other president.”
Paul framed his amendment as a continuation of a position he said dates back to his earliest years in the Senate.
“I have supported protecting birthright citizenship from the beginning of my tenure in the Senate, when I cosponsored the Birthright Citizenship Act of 2011, and now I am proposing an amendment to protect United States citizenship in case the Supreme Court fails to address this issue correctly,” he wrote.
