Rep. Steube Introduces Birthright CLAIM Act Following Calls for Congressional Action from President Trump, Justice Kavanaugh
WASHINGTON – U.S. Representative Greg Steube (R-Fla.) today introduced the Birthright Citizenship Limits for Aliens and Illegal Migrants (CLAIM) Act, legislation to clarify federal law governing birthright citizenship after President Donald Trump called on Congress to act and Justice Brett Kavanaugh emphasized that Congress, not the courts, is responsible for addressing the issue through legislation. This bill is co-sponsored by Representatives Stephanie Bice (R-Okla.), Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.), and Ralph Norman (R-S.C.).
“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,” said Rep. Greg Steube. “The Birthright CLAIM Actanswers 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.”
The Birthright CLAIM Act answers those calls by establishing clear statutory standards governing citizenship at birth, closing loopholes that have encouraged abuse of the nation’s immigration system, and reaffirming Congress’s constitutional role in setting federal immigration policy.
One of the clearest examples of why Congress must act is the growing practice of birth tourism, in which foreign nationals travel to the United States for the purpose of giving birth so their children can obtain U.S. citizenship. Federal investigations have uncovered criminal birth tourism operations that coached clients to deceive immigration officials and obtain taxpayer-funded medical care. A Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee investigation documented cases in which birth tourists paid only a small fraction of their hospital bills, leaving taxpayers to cover tens of thousands of dollars through public healthcare programs.
The Birthright CLAIM Act would clarify that a person born in the United States is not automatically granted citizenship when neither parent is a U.S. citizen or national and at least one parent is either unlawfully present in the country or present only on a temporary visa. The bill would also require a DNA paternity verification before citizenship may be granted when a child is born to a mother who is unlawfully present and citizenship is claimed solely through the father. The cost of testing would be borne by the parents or legal guardians, not American taxpayers.
In addition, the legislation 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.
The full text of the Birthright CLAIM Act is available here.
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