The US State Department has proposed requiring parents applying for passports for their children to provide evidence of their own citizenship or immigration status, according to draft guidance reviewed by Reuters. The proposal offers the first detailed indication of how the department could implement President Donald Trump’s August 6 executive order targeting what it describes as “birth tourism” and expanding exceptions to birthright citizenship. State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said the Trump administration would ensure that the passport process reflects the president’s position on American citizenship. Restricting birthright citizenship has been a major part of Trump’s immigration agenda. His earlier attempt to limit automatic citizenship was blocked by the US Supreme Court, which ruled in a 6-3 decision that the order violated the Citizenship Clause of the 14th Amendment. Pakistan remains hopeful for diplomatic solution to US-Iran tensions Trump’s original order sought to grant citizenship at birth only when at least one parent was a US citizen or lawful permanent resident, commonly known as a green card holder. Implementing the latest order The August 6 order is narrower and focuses particularly on “birth tourism”, in which foreign nationals travel to the United States to give birth so their children can obtain US citizenship. The latest directive could deny citizenship to certain children if a parent works for a foreign government in the United States, engages in fraud or a commercial transaction to obtain citizenship, or is classified as an “alien enemy”. Under the draft guidance, parents would have to provide information and evidence of their citizenship or immigration status when applying for a child’s passport. US citizens could be required to submit documents such as a valid passport or birth certificate. Non-citizen parents could be asked to provide evidence of immigration status, including an I-94 form or lawful permanent resident card. The information would allow the State Department to determine whether a child falls within the categories covered by the executive order. Currently, parents applying for a US passport for a child born in the country generally need to establish parentage and provide identification. They indicate their citizenship status on the application but do not ordinarily have to submit supporting citizenship or immigration documents. The proposed changes could therefore introduce additional documentation requirements for families seeking passports for US-born children. Legal challenges continue Trump’s latest order could still face court challenges. Lawyers representing babies who could lose citizenship under the administration’s policies have asked two federal judges to prevent the latest order from taking effect. One case is before US District Judge Deborah Boardman in Maryland, a Biden appointee. During a hearing on Friday, Boardman expressed scepticism about what she described as an unprecedented presidential order and allowed the plaintiffs to amend their lawsuit. Justice Department lawyers have argued that blocking the order would be premature because federal agencies had not yet publicly issued detailed guidance on its implementation. The legal dispute is likely to determine whether the State Department can proceed with the proposed passport requirements and how far the administration can go in restricting birthright citizenship. Post navigation India 51 citizens recruited into Russian Army killed in Ukraine war
