Trump's birthright citizenship crackdown: US may demand parents’ immigration proof for children’s passports

The US State Department is considering a proposal that would require parents to provide proof of their citizenship or immigration status when applying for passports for their children, according to Reuters. This move is part of President Donald Trump's efforts to restrict birthright citizenship and enforce an August 6 executive order targeting "birth tourism".

If enacted, parents would need to submit documents such as a valid US passport or birth certificate if they are US citizens, or documents showing their immigration status if they are not. This information would be used to determine if the child's case falls under the categories covered by the executive order. The State Department has not yet implemented this draft guidance.

The proposed rule would be a significant change from the current passport process, which generally only requires parents to establish their relationship to the child and provide photo identification. Trump's August 6 order targets children of parents who work for foreign governments, engage in fraud or commercial transactions to obtain citizenship, are classified as "alien enemies", or are part of so-called "birth tourism".

This directive faces legal challenges, as a lawsuit has been filed by lawyers representing babies who could have been affected by the earlier executive order. The legality of the order is being questioned, with a judge expressing skepticism during a hearing but allowing the lawsuit to proceed for further revisions.