US mulls stricter passport rules for parents of American-born children
The US has proposed new passport rules requiring parents of American-born children to prove their own citizenship or lawful status.
The Trump administration has proposed a fresh set of passport regulations that would require parents of US-born children to submit documentary proof of their own citizenship or lawful immigration status when applying for the child's passport.
Under the draft rules, a parent who is a US citizen would need to provide a valid US passport or an official birth certificate. For non-citizen parents, the proposed framework lists an I-94 arrival-departure record or a lawful permanent resident card (green card) as acceptable evidence.
The move is seen as the latest administrative step in the ongoing debate over birthright citizenship in the United States. While the proposal does not directly alter the constitutional principle of citizenship by birth, it introduces an additional layer of verification at the passport issuance stage.
Officials have not yet confirmed a timeline for implementation, and the rules would likely be subject to a public comment period before taking effect. The proposal is expected to draw legal scrutiny from civil rights groups and immigration advocates who argue that such documentation requirements could burden mixed-status families.