A new legislative push to fundamentally alter how the United States grants citizenship to children born on its soil has officially begun in Congress. U.S. Representative Greg Steube (R-Fla.) introduced House Resolution 11, titled the Birthright Citizenship Limits for Aliens and Illegal Migrants (CLAIM) Act of 2026. The bill proposes strict statutory exceptions to the historic standard of automatic citizenship at birth.
Background
The introduction of the legislation comes on the heels of a public push by President Donald Trump and recent legal commentary from the judicial branch. After federal courts, including the Supreme Court, addressed the limits of executive power over immigration rules, lawmakers have moved to address the issue directly through federal statute.
Justice Brett Kavanaugh previously noted that defining or modifying these citizenship standards falls under the constitutional responsibility of the legislative branch rather than the court system. Joining Representative Steube as original co-sponsored backers of the bill are Republican Representatives Stephanie Bice of Oklahoma, Tim Burchett of Tennessee, and Ralph Norman of South Carolina.
Representative Steube said in a statement accompanying the bill’s introduction, “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.”
Proposed Changes
The Birthright CLAIM Act would explicitly amend Section 301(a) of the Immigration and Nationality Act. Under the new text, an individual born within the borders of the United States would be barred from automatic citizenship if both parents are non-citizens or non-nationals, and if at least one parent is unlawfully present in the country or holds a temporary, non-permanent legal status.
The proposed law introduces a strict paternity verification mandate. When a child is born to an undocumented mother and the claim to U.S. citizenship relies entirely on the father being a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident, a certified DNA test would be mandatory before any official documentation is issued. Government agencies would be legally blocked from issuing a U.S. passport, social security number, or certificate of citizenship until the biological relationship is verified.
Original reporting: Tampa Free Press — read the source article.
