The US State Department has proposed that parents applying for passports for their children provide proof of their own citizenship or immigration status. This move is part of President Donald Trump's latest effort to limit birthright citizenship.
Draft guidance, reviewed by Reuters, outlines how the State Department could enforce Trump's August 6 executive order. This order targets what the administration calls "birth tourism" and seeks to broaden historical exceptions to birthright citizenship.
Currently, parents of children born in the US only need to prove parentage and present photo identification. The new proposal would require all parents or legal guardians to provide evidence such as a valid US passport, birth certificate, I-94 form, or legal permanent residency card.
State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott stated that President Trump is "unequivocal that this administration will protect the meaning and value of American citizenship." The August 6 order is narrower than a previous attempt by Trump to limit birthright citizenship, which the US Supreme Court ruled violated the 14th Amendment.