Overview

• State Department documents instruct passport offices to request original proof of a parent’s U.S. citizenship or immigration status before processing newborn applications.
• Social Security Administration guidance states that birth certificates alone will no longer suffice to issue numbers and that parents must demonstrate citizen or lawful permanent resident status.
• A USCIS memo defines exempt groups such as children of asylees and refugees and outlines criteria for “unlawfully present” or “lawful but temporary” parental status.
• Health and Human Services, CMS and the Agriculture Department have issued parallel plans to verify parental status for newborns seeking public assistance.
• Lower-court injunctions still block enforcement in most jurisdictions and the ACLU and state attorneys general are continuing class-action lawsuits to prevent implementation.