Trump Administration Outlines Passport and Social Security Changes for Birthright Citizenship Order

Newly released federal documents reveal how the Trump administration plans to enforce an executive order ending birthright citizenship, despite the policy remaining blocked in the courts.

The guidance, issued by multiple agencies, outlines how parents – including U.S. citizens – could be required to prove their own citizenship or immigration status to secure a passport or Social Security number for their newborns.

A State Department memo specifies that officials will need “original proof of parental citizenship or immigration status” before issuing a passport. Similarly, the Social Security Administration said that a birth certificate alone would no longer be sufficient for those born after the order takes effect. Parents would need to provide additional documentation showing that at least one parent was a U.S. citizen or had legal status at the time of birth.

Additional documents from the Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and Department of Agriculture describe similar verification procedures for federal benefits. A memo from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services defines which children would be exempt from the policy, including those of refugees and asylees.

The executive order, signed January 20, seeks to stop automatic citizenship for children born in the United States to parents who are undocumented or in the country on temporary status. Federal courts, however, have blocked the policy.

Immigrant rights advocates, including the American Civil Liberties Union, say these new guidelines do not change the current reality that children born in the U.S. remain citizens. New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin, leading a multi-state legal challenge, expressed confidence that the order will never take effect.

Despite the legal hurdles, federal agencies say they are preparing to implement the policy if court rulings allow it.

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Credit: CNN Newsource