WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is proposing new passport requirements that could require parents to prove their U.S. citizenship or legal immigration status when applying for a passport for their child.
Currently, parents of U.S.-born children generally provide identification, establish their relationship to the child and state their citizenship status. Under the proposed State Department rules, they could also be required to submit documentary proof, such as a U.S. passport, birth certificate, green card or immigration record.
The government says the additional information would help determine whether a child qualifies for U.S. citizenship under President Donald Trump’s latest executive order targeting what his administration describes as “birth tourism” and certain other circumstances.
The proposal is part of Trump’s broader effort to restrict automatic birthright citizenship. His administration has argued that citizenship should not automatically extend to children in certain situations involving parents without qualifying immigration status.
However, the issue remains tied up in major constitutional challenges. Birthright citizenship is rooted in the 14th Amendment, and courts have scrutinized previous Trump administration attempts to narrow its application.
If implemented, the new passport procedure could mean substantially more documentation for parents and legal guardians applying for U.S. passports for their children, while potentially making a parent’s immigration status an important part of determining the child’s citizenship eligibility.