President Donald Trump has signed an executive order challenging the current interpretation of birthright citizenship, specifically targeting its application to children born to undocumented immigrants in the United States.

The executive order argues that birthright citizenship should not automatically extend to children whose parents lack legal immigration status, marking a departure from the long-standing legal interpretation that has been in place for over a century.

The challenge centers on the landmark 1898 Supreme Court case United States v. Wong Kim Ark, which established the principle of birthright citizenship in America. That case involved Wong Kim Ark, a man born in the United States to Chinese immigrant parents, and the Court's ruling solidified the interpretation that individuals born on U.S. soil are automatically citizens regardless of their parents' immigration status.

Legal experts and historians have noted that overturning or significantly modifying this interpretation would require either a successful court challenge to existing precedent or a constitutional amendment. The 14th Amendment to the Constitution states that "all persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States."

The Department of Justice would need to succeed in court proceedings to implement the changes outlined in Trump's executive order. Such a legal battle would likely face significant constitutional challenges given the established precedent from the Wong Kim Ark case and subsequent legal interpretations over the past 125 years.