Representatives Cory Mills (R-FL) and Andy Harris (R-MD) have introduced legislation restricting birthright citizenship.
The Prohibiting Automatic Rights to Enter National Territory (PARENT) Act does not eliminate birthright citizenship but instead restricts automatic American citizenship upon birth to children born to at least one parent who is already a citizen or lawful permanent resident.
Rep. Mills'sMills's legislation builds upon President Donald Trump's executive order to deny birthright citizenship to children of illegal aliens born in the United States, an order that has faced stiff judicial challenges since its issuance in January.
"For decades, criminal migrants have exploited loopholes in our immigration system, undermining our nation's sovereignty, straining taxpayer resources, and ignoring the rule of law," said Rep. Mills in his press release, adding, "By amending the Immigration and Nationality Act, the PARENT Act seeks to end the abuse and reaffirm the principles of American citizenship and our Constitutional Republic. Building on President Trump's efforts to protect American sovereignty, this bill ensures birthright citizenship is reserved for those with a legal right to be here. It's past time to restore integrity to our laws and put American citizens first."
Other Republicans have challenged the meaning of birthright citizenship, which refers to any person born in the United States regardless of their parents' immigration status.
During his Presidential run early in the 2024 Election, Governor Ron DeSantis (R-FL) suggested that the DeSantis administration would aim to end birthright citizenship.
"I have listened to people in D.C. for years and years and years, going back decades – Republicans and Democrats – always chirping about this yet never actually bringing the issue to a conclusion," DeSantis explained in June 2023, noting that " what we're we're saying is no excuses."
In July 2023, former Representative Matt Gaetz (R-FL) introduced the End Birthright Citizenship Fraud Act of 2023, which, like Mills's bill, prevents children born to foreign nationals from automatically attaining citizenship at birth, with the exception of lawful permanent residents and lawfully admitted refugees. It also includes those " performing active services in the U.S. Armed Forces."
