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False claims that Barack Obama was not US-born grew in early 2008 when he was campaigning for his first term as president. Obama's opponents spread the racially motivated falsehood to prevent a Black person from becoming president.
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They cited the US Constitution, which states only US-born Americans can become president. Obama was elected but property developer Donald Trump, a reality TV host at the time, fanned the conspiracy in 2011.
Obama, who was eying a second term, finally released full details of his birth certificate. It showed he was born in the US state of Hawaii, making him eligible to run as president.
The Constitution states everyone born in the United States are citizens except the children of diplomats. But Trump, who has long been obsessed with the birth issue, wanted to narrow this right.
He issued a presidential order last year stating that children born to parents who were unlawfully or temporarily present in the US would be denied the constitutional right to be citizens.
After a long legal battle, the issue reached the Supreme Court which ruled two months ago that Trump's order was unconstitutional.
Trump, who hates to lose, has now issued a narrower order.
It blocks citizenship for US-born babies of tourists. Many pregnant tourists visit the US to acquire citizenship for their newborn. Trump's order prevents pregnant tourists from entering the US.
His order also denies citizenship to children born to non-citizen parents if one parent is a member of a foreign terrorist group or a foreign government employee. Legal challenges are certain.
Birthright tourism became controversial in Hong Kong during Leung Chun-ying's time as chief executive. Pregnant mainland women flooded into Hong Kong to give birth to acquire residency for their newborn.
After a local uproar, Leung ordered hospitals to stop accepting pregnant mainlanders whose husbands were not Hongkongers. As a Hong Kong-born, I agreed with Leung and, as an American citizen, I also agree with Trump.
Birthright tourism is a sneaky way to gain citizenship. Hong Kong no longer has birthright tourism. US courts will have to decide if Trump's order to ban pregnant visitors is constitutional.
The tricky part is that the US, like other countries, has every right to restrict non-citizens from entering the country. Hong Kong has used this right to stop birth tourism.
Trump's order carefully relies on existing immigration laws to restrict visas for visitors without violating the US Constitution.
Michael Chugani is a longtime journalist who has worked in Hong Kong, the US, and London
