US Sees Nearly 400,000 Births To Noncitizen Parents In 2024, Raising Alarm Over Birthright Citizenship

The year 2024 saw nearly 400,000 children born to noncitizen parents within the United States, a figure equivalent to the population of New Orleans. These births, often referred to as “anchor babies,” grant automatic citizenship to the newborns despite their parents’ lack of legal ties to the country, sparking renewed debate over birthright citizenship.

A report by the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) estimates that 300,000 of these births were to illegal immigrants, with another 72,000 attributed to foreign nationals in the U.S. on temporary visas or as tourists. Critics argue that the current interpretation of the 14th Amendment incentivizes the practice, allowing noncitizens to exploit a system originally intended for a very different purpose.

President Donald Trump has promised to address this issue head-on in his upcoming second term. On the campaign trail, he vowed to issue an executive order that would reinterpret the 14th Amendment, effectively ending automatic citizenship for children born to individuals who are not lawful residents of the country. “On day one of my new term in office, I will make clear that the future children of illegal aliens will not receive automatic U.S. citizenship,” Trump declared.

The 14th Amendment’s Citizenship Clause has never been fully adjudicated by the Supreme Court regarding its application to children of illegal immigrants. Many legal experts argue that the clause does not require citizenship for children born to individuals not under the full jurisdiction of the United States.

While countries like Canada and the United States continue to offer birthright citizenship regardless of the parents’ immigration status, most developed nations, including France, Ireland, and Australia, limit citizenship to children with at least one citizen parent. The disparity highlights the unique and contentious nature of the U.S. policy, fueling calls for reform to address this growing concern.

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