Two views of Birthright Citizenship over 2 days

All members of the United States Men’s National Soccer Team must meet FIFA rules to qualify. This includes players who were born in the United States, born outside of the country to an American parent, have an American-born grandparent, or are naturalized citizens.

One day after the Supreme Court ruled against President Trump’s executive order limiting birthright citizenship, the president intervened on behalf of USMNT striker Folarin Balogun, who had received a red card and a one-game suspension. Balogun was allowed to play in the knockout round after FIFA President Gianni Infantino received Trump’s call.

Trump said it would have been highly unfair for the U.S. to lose a star player over a play he did not believe was a foul.

Folarin Balogun is eligible to play for the US team through birthright citizenship. His parents, Florence and Ben Balogun, are Nigerian citizens who hold British residency status. In 2001, after a visit with her sister in Brooklyn, New York, Florence was denied a return flight to London by the airline due to pregnancy. Stranded in Brooklyn, she remained with relatives, gave birth to Folarin, and returned home a few weeks later.

Balogun is eligible to play for Nigeria, Great Britain, or the US in the FIFA World Cup. His mother encouraged him to play for the US team, saying she doesn’t believe things happen by luck, and the circumstances of his American birth stuck with her. Before he was thinking about the decision, she had already made up her mind that he would one day play for America.

According to the PEW Research Center, 33 countries offer unconditional birthright citizenship to anyone born on their soil, regardless of parental nationality or legal status.