Representative Greg Steube (R-FL) has introduced legislation restricting the automatic grant of birthright citizenship to anyone born in the United States.
What the Bill Does
Rep. Steube's Birthright Citizenship Limits for Aliens and Illegal Migrants (CLAIM) Act clarifies that birthright citizenship is not automatically granted when neither parent is a U.S. citizen or national, and if at least one parent is an illegal alien or only in the United States on a temporary visa.
Additionally, a paternity test will be mandated if an unlawfully present mother claims citizenship through the father, at the parents' or legal guardians' expense.
Moreover, the bill would strengthen residency requirements for children born abroad to one U.S. citizen parent and one alien parent by increasing the amount of time the U.S. citizen parent must have been physically present in the United States before citizenship can be transmitted.
What the Bill is For
The Birthright CLAIM Act is a response to the Supreme Court's recent ruling against President Donald Trump's executive order restricting birthright citizenship, with Justice Brett Kavanaugh arguing that birthright citizenship laws must be decided by Congress.
On top of that, Rep. Steube's bill seeks to confront the growing phenomenon of birth tourism, wherein foreign nationals intentionally travel to the United States to give birth to their children in order to give them American citizenship.
What Steube is Saying
"For too long, Congress has ignored its responsibility to address the abuse of our nation's birthright citizenship laws. President Trump has called on Congress to act, and Justice Kavanaugh made clear that this is a question for the legislative branch, not the courts," the Florida congressman said in a press release. "The Birthright CLAIM Act answers that call by restoring common-sense limits on birthright citizenship, protecting taxpayers from abuse, closing dangerous loopholes in our immigration laws, and ensuring that American citizenship remains a privilege reserved for those who owe allegiance to the United States."
