+++ USA +++: Trump will mit neuen Pass-Regeln Geburtsrecht einschränken

The former Undersecretary of State, Cao, assumed his role at the end of April following the departure of John Phelan. The reasons behind Phelan's departure were not disclosed by the Ministry at the time. According to the "New York Times", tensions had been simmering for months between Phelan and his two superiors, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and his deputy Stephen Feinberg.

The Trump administration had taken the government to the Supreme Court over the dismissal of transgender individuals from the US military. A relevant request has been filed with the court, confirmed a spokeswoman for Deutsche Presse-Agentur. It remains to be seen whether the Supreme Court will take up the case. In September 2025, the Defense Department instructed under Trump's direction to largely exclude transgender people from military service.

Lower courts had blocked this measure so far, but a final judgment has not been issued. Trump's appeal to the Supreme Court aims to remove these service members from the military even before a court ruling. The US State Department plans to require proof of the parents' own citizenship or immigration status in future applications for passports for their children born in the United States.

This comes from a draft of the department obtained by the news agency Reuters on Friday. The measure is part of the recent efforts by President Donald Trump to tighten the acquisition of citizenship by birth and specifically targets the so-called birth tourism. Restricting the birthright principle is one of the president's priorities in his far-reaching tightening of immigration laws.

"President Trump has made it clear unequivocally that this administration will protect the meaning and value of American citizenship," a State Department spokesman said. To date, parents only need to prove their parentage and present a photo ID in a passport application. A nationwide ID card like in Germany does not exist in the US; a driver's license is often used as an ID document.

Lawyers have already filed lawsuits to block the recent decree. At a hearing on Friday, one judge expressed skepticism about the order. Under Hegseth, there has been a flurry of departures from high military leadership positions, partly by their own choice, partly at the request of the minister. If the Democrats win the midterm elections in November, they intend to hold Hegseth more accountable for his stewardship.

Driscoll has been "extremely successful in implementing President Trump's agenda," said a White House spokeswoman, Anna Kelly. He demonstrated outstanding leadership qualities in historic military operations, strengthened the combat readiness of the army and supported negotiations between Russia and Ukraine.