Trump offers first defense of birthright citizenship order in court filing

• "Ample historical evidence shows that the children of non-resident aliens are subject to foreign powers—and, thus, are not subject to the jurisdiction of the United States and are not constitutionally entitled to birthright citizenship," Trump's legal team said on Wednesday.
• The 14th Amendment, added to the Constitution after the Civil War to protect freed slaves, says that "All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside."

Yes, but: Trump's argument mirrors one that the Supreme Court rejected in 1898 as part of a landmark decision that codified birthright citizenship.

• It ruled that the 14th Amendment grants citizenship to anyone born on U.S. soil with the exception of diplomats and other employees of foreign countries.

Catch up quick: Trump's executive order attempts to end birthright citizenship for children born in the U.S. to noncitizen parents and undocumented immigrants.

• The order extends to parents in the country legally but temporarily, like foreign students, workers or tourists.
• Democratic attorneys general and immigrant advocacy organizations immediately challenged the order in court.

Go deeper:

• Tracking: States suing to block Trump's birthright citizenship order
• Trump's birthright citizenship threat faces constitutional hurdles