Parents could be asked to provide a valid US passport or birth certificate to establish citizenship, or an I-94 form or permanent residency card to establish immigration status.
The draft guidance outlines how the department could implement Trump’s August 6 executive order targeting so-called “birth tourism”, according to a report by Reuters. In a statement, state department spokesman Tommy Pigott said, “President Trump has been unequivocal that this administration will protect the meaning and value of American citizenship, full stop, and that includes making sure our passport adjudication process fully reflects that standard.” The US state department may require parents to provide proof of their own citizenship or immigration status when applying for passports for their children. The latest draft is proposed amid US President Donald Trump’s push to restrict birthright citizenship. This targets foreign nationals travelling to the US to give birth so their children can obtain American citizenship. The proposal would require parents or legal guardians to submit documents proving their citizenship or immigration status as part of their child’s passport application. The proposal comes as Trump intensifies his efforts to narrow the circumstances in which children born in the US can automatically acquire citizenship. His administration has argued that existing rules have encouraged birth tourism and other forms of what it considers abuse of the citizenship system.
Non-citizen parents could be required to submit documents showing their immigration status, including an I-94 form or a lawful permanent resident card.
Trump’s August 6 order is narrower and specifically targets categories including children whose parents are foreign government employees, are allegedly involved in fraud or a commercial transaction to obtain citizenship, or are classified as an “alien enemy”. Earlier reporting noted: The proposal is part of President Donald Trump ’s latest effort to restrict birthright citizenship and enforce an August 6 executive order targeting what his administration calls “birth tourism”. Earlier reporting noted: According to Reuters, parents could be asked to provide proof such as a valid US passport or birth certificate if they are US citizens. Earlier reporting noted: State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott told Reuters that the Trump administration would ensure that the passport adjudication process reflects its approach to protecting the “meaning and value” of US citizenship.
The order could still face legal challenges. One such case is before US District Judge Deborah Boardman in Greenbelt, Maryland.
Lawyers representing babies who could be denied citizenship under Trump’s earlier order have already filed class-action lawsuits seeking to stop the administration’s latest directive.