New draft guidance from the US State Department could change how US birthright citizenship Pakistani babies are processed, with parents potentially required to prove their own citizenship or immigration status when applying for a passport for their US-born child. The proposal is part of President Donald Trump’s latest effort to restrict birthright citizenship in the United States.
US Birthright Citizenship Pakistani Babies: What the Draft Guidance Says
According to a report by Reuters, which reviewed the draft guidance, the document provides the first detailed indication of how the State Department could implement Trump’s August 6, 2026 executive order targeting so-called “birth tourism” and expanding exceptions to birthright citizenship. Under the proposal, parents or legal guardians would need to submit evidence of their citizenship, such as a valid US passport or birth certificate, or proof of immigration status, including an I-94 form or green card, when applying for a passport on behalf of a child.
The information collected would reportedly be used to determine whether a child falls under the restrictions outlined in the executive order. This represents a notable shift from current practice, where parents of US-born children generally only need to establish their relationship to the child and provide photo identification when applying for a passport, without submitting supporting evidence of their citizenship status.
Who the Order Targets
The proposed directive would deny citizenship to certain children covered by the executive order, including those whose parents fall into categories such as foreign government employees, individuals involved in fraud or commercial transactions intended to obtain citizenship, or people classified as “alien enemies” under US law. The order is described as narrower than Trump’s earlier attempt to restrict birthright citizenship, specifically targeting birth tourism, a practice in which foreign nationals travel to the US to give birth so their children can obtain American citizenship.
Background: Supreme Court Blocked an Earlier Order
This is not Trump’s first attempt at restricting birthright citizenship. His initial executive order sought to limit automatic citizenship at birth to children with at least one US citizen or lawful permanent resident parent. The US Supreme Court blocked that effort, ruling 6-3 that the order was unlawful and inconsistent with the Citizenship Clause of the 14th Amendment to the US Constitution.
Legal Challenges Continue
The latest order is also facing legal challenges, with lawyers representing affected families and children asking federal courts to block its implementation. US District Judge Deborah Boardman, who is hearing one such case in Maryland, has reportedly expressed skepticism about the order and allowed the plaintiffs to revise their lawsuit as she considers whether to block it. Justice Department lawyers have argued that court intervention would be premature, since federal agencies had not yet issued public guidance explaining how the directive would actually be implemented.
The outcome of these legal challenges, along with the finalization of the State Department’s guidance, will determine whether the new documentation requirements for parents, including many Pakistani families in the US, ultimately take effect. This report is based on information from Reuters. For more international news, see our national news section.
