'Birthright citizenship is unconstitutional': White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt in her first briefing

In her debut press briefing on Tuesday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt defended the Trump administration's decision to end birthright citizenship, calling it "unconstitutional".

The executive order, signed by President Donald Trump shortly after taking office, denies automatic citizenship to children of migrants who are in the US illegally or on temporary visas. It applies to births from February 19 onward and does not apply retroactively.

Leavitt, the youngest press secretary in US history, responded to legal challenges from 22 state attorneys general by reaffirming the administration’s stance. "This administration believes that birthright citizenship is unconstitutional," she said, pledging to take the issue to the Supreme Court.

The press briefing also highlighted the administration’s aggressive immigration enforcement efforts. Leavitt warned potential border-crossers to “think again” as she detailed recent ICE operations.

“The 3,500 arrests that ICE has made so far since President Trump came back into office,” she said, pointing out that all detainees are considered criminals.

When asked about those without violent offenses, she doubled down: “All of them, because they illegally broke our nation's laws, and therefore, they are criminals as far as this administration goes.”

Leavitt also addressed economic policy, confirming that tariffs on Canada remain on schedule for February 1, with additional duties on Mexico and China under consideration. “I spoke with the president Monday night, and he indicated February 1 was ‘still on the books’ for the introduction of damaging duties,” she stated.

The administration also plans to impose tariffs on foreign-made semiconductors, computer chips, and pharmaceuticals to encourage domestic manufacturing.