Trump says possible Supreme Court upholding of birthright citizenship would be ‘disgrace’

US President Donald Trump said Thursday it would be "a disgrace" if the Supreme Court upholds birthright citizenship.

"Now we have another one coming up. Birthright citizenship," Trump told reporters at the White House.

"It would be a disgrace ... It would be a disgrace if the Supreme Court of the United States allows that to happen," he said.

Trump argued that a significant number of migrants entering the US could eventually gain citizenship through birthright citizenship provisions.

"Remember what I said, 20 to 25% of the people coming into our country will come in through birthright citizenship. They'll become citizens through birthright citizenship," he said.

The president added that he hopes the justices "do what's right."

"I hope they do what's right. Birthright citizenship is a disgrace," he said.

Trump signed an executive order on Jan. 20, the first day of his second term in office, seeking to restrict birthright citizenship.

The move was widely seen as part of his administration's broader crackdown on illegal immigration and an attempt to challenge longstanding constitutional interpretation in the US.

Birthright citizenship is the first Trump immigration-related policy to reach the Supreme Court for a final ruling.

If upheld, Trump's order could overturn more than 125 years of broad birthright citizenship protections under the 14th Amendment of the US Constitution.