The US State Department has proposed requiring parents to prove their own citizenship or immigration status when applying for passports for their children, Reuters reported, citing draft guidance reviewed.
Non-citizen parents could be required to submit documents showing their immigration status, including an I-94 form or a lawful permanent resident card.
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”. Parents could be asked to provide proof such as a valid US passport or birth certificate if they are US citizens, according to Reuters. 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 latest directive targets children whose parents fall into specific categories.
These include cases where a parent works for a foreign government in the US, is involved in fraud or a commercial transaction to obtain citizenship, or is classified as an “alien enemy”.
US District Judge Deborah Boardman expressed skepticism about the new order during a hearing in Maryland, according to Reuters, but allowed plaintiffs to revise their lawsuit so she could consider whether to block it.
