US plans to verify parents ‘citizenship, immigration status’ prior to issuing passport to new born: Report
If reports are to be believed, the United States administration is planning to ask parents in the country to prove their own citizenship and immigration status before applying for passports for their children.
The move comes as the latest effort by President Donald Trump to tighten rules governing citizenship. The proposal marks the Trump administration’s first detailed framework for implementing the Republican president’s August 6 executive order targeting what it calls birth tourism and broadening historical exceptions to citizenship acquired at birth.
“President Trump has been unequivocal that this Administration will protect the meaning and value of American citizenship, full stop, and that includes making sure our passport adjudication process fully reflects that standard,” State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said in a press briefing.
Under the current U.S. passport rules, parents applying for passports for their U.S.-born children must establish their relationship with the minor and provide government-issued photo identification. Parents are also asked to declare their citizenship status on the application form but are not routinely required to submit documents proving their immigration status.
If the new rule is enforced, all parents or legal guardians would be required to provide proof of U.S. citizenship, such as a valid U.S. passport or birth certificate, or evidence of their immigration status, such as an I-94 form or legal permanent residency card, when submitting an application for their children.
The information would then be used by the government to determine whether the child qualifies for U.S. citizenship under the new order. According to a report, the new directive could affect applications if a parent works for a foreign government in the U.S., is engaged in fraud or a commercial transaction to obtain citizenship, or is classified as an alien enemy.
The proposal comes at a time when the Trump administration continues efforts to tighten eligibility for U.S. citizenship and change how citizenship claims are assessed.