Marco Rubio Just Tried To Claim That 'American Citizenship Is Not For Sale'—And Everyone Had The Same Response

Secretary of State Marco Rubio was called out after trying to claim on X that "American citizenship is not for sale," even though the Trump administration offers a route toward citizenship in exchange for a large financial contribution.

Birthright citizenship is a legal concept that grants citizenship automatically at birth. It exists in two forms: ancestry-based citizenship and birthplace-based citizenship. The latter, known as jus soli, a Latin term meaning "right of the soil," grants citizenship based on the location of birth.

In the United States, birthright citizenship is enshrined in the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution, which declares 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."

In a 6–3 ruling in June, the Supreme Court affirmed that children born in the U.S. are constitutionally entitled to birthright citizenship, rejecting President Donald Trump's effort to overturn the 150-year-old principle via executive order.

Writing for the majority, Chief Justice John Roberts concluded that children born on U.S. soil to parents who are in the country unlawfully or temporarily are "citizens at birth" under the Fourteenth Amendment.

The Trump administration continues to try and find routes around the ruling, and Rubio announced a new State Department task force targeting so-called “birth tourism,” saying the U.S. had already revoked more than 600 visas in a single month.

He wrote:

"American citizenship is not for sale. But elaborate birth tourism rings are profiting off the exploitation of America's laws- coaching foreigners to defraud the U.S. visa system, arranging travel and housing, and even forging documents, all to enable foreign nationals to obtain citizenship for their children."

"The State Department established a Birth Tourism Prevention Task Force to review the activity of visa holders, dismantle illegal birth tourism networks, and put an end to this heinous abuse of our nation's laws."

"In just one month, the Birth Tourism Prevention Task Force has taken action to revoke more than 600 visas from foreign nationals across the globe and will continue to safeguard our nation from this abuse. The State Department will use all available tools to dismantle birth tourism networks and defend the integrity of U.S. citizenship."

A Community Note below Rubio's post notes the Trump administration is simultaneously promoting its $1 million Gold Card program, which offers wealthy foreigners expedited U.S. residency with a path to citizenship.

You can see his post below.

Launched in December, Trump’s “gold card” creates a fast track to U.S. citizenship for wealthy immigrants willing to pay $1 million, plus a $15,000 processing fee. Critics have condemned the scheme for emerging alongside the administration’s escalating nationwide immigration crackdown.

The card grants approved applicants permanent U.S. residency, mirroring the existing EB-5 immigrant investor visa program. Trump said in December that sales had already reached $1.3 billion.

Rubio was harshly criticized.

Rubio’s announcement followed two executive orders from Trump taking aim at birthright citizenship and so-called “birth tourism.”

Rather than directly attempting to rewrite the constitutional principle of birthright citizenship, the orders focus on creating exceptions and tightening the rules surrounding entry into the U.S.

The first order identifies several circumstances in which citizenship would not automatically apply, including children of certain foreign nationals, foreign government employees, people involved in birth tourism or some surrogacy arrangements, and children born in territories where citizenship is not granted by statute.

The order also extends beyond the existing exception for children of accredited foreign diplomats to cover other foreign embassy and consular employees.

The second order takes a more indirect approach, directing the State Department to increase scrutiny of visa applicants suspected of traveling to the U.S. primarily to give birth.

Consular officials would be instructed to deny nonimmigrant visas when they believe an applicant intends to engage in birth tourism, while the Department of Homeland Security would work with the State Department on additional screening at ports of entry.