Parents may now need to prove citizenship for their children’s US passports
Photo: Reuters.
Parents of immigrant children may have to provide proof of their citizenship or immigration status to obtain citizenship certificates and passports for their children by birthright. The US State Department has proposed the requirement as part of President Donald Trump’s latest effort to restrict birthright citizenship. Reuters published an exclusive report on the proposal on September 1. Trump signed an executive order on the issue on August 6, primarily aimed at preventing “birth tourism.”
In a statement responding to Reuters’ questions, State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said, “President Trump has been unequivocal that this administration will protect the meaning and value of American citizenship. This includes ensuring that our passport adjudication process fully reflects that standard.”
Restricting birthright citizenship is one of the top priorities in Trump’s far-reaching crackdown on immigration. His earlier attempt to restrict it was found by the Supreme Court in violation of the US Constitution.
Under Trump’s initial executive order, only children with at least one parent who was a US citizen or a lawful permanent resident, commonly known as a green-card holder, would automatically receive US citizenship at birth. In a 6-3 ruling, the Supreme Court declared the order unlawful. The majority of the justices found that it violated the Citizenship Clause of the 14th Amendment to the Constitution.
Trump’s August 6 order was more specific and was aimed particularly at “birth tourism,” in which women travel to the United States to give birth so that their children can automatically obtain citizenship. That order could still be blocked by the courts.
Under the new guidelines, children whose parents work for a foreign government in the United States, are involved in fraud or commercial transactions to obtain citizenship, or are classified as “alien enemies” or “foreign enemies” would not be granted citizenship.
Under the proposal, all parents or legal guardians would have to provide proof of citizenship, such as a valid US passport or birth certificate, or proof of immigration status, such as an I-94 form or a lawful permanent resident card, when applying for passports for their children. The State Department’s proposal says the government would use this information to determine whether a child is eligible for citizenship under the new order.
Currently, parents whose children are born in the United States only need to provide proof of their parentage and a photo ID during the process. They are asked to check a box on the application indicating whether they are US citizens. However, they are not required to submit any supporting documents.
