Birthright CLAIM Act of 2026

This bill would change federal law so that a child born in the United States would not automatically be a citizen if neither parent is a U.S. citizen or national and at least one parent is in the country unlawfully or in a lawful status other than permanent residency. For children born abroad to one citizen parent and one non-citizen parent, the citizen parent would need to have lived in the U.S. for at least 10 years, up from 5, with at least 3 of those years in the 5 years before the birth. If a child is born in the U.S. to a mother not lawfully present and claims citizenship through the father, the child would not be considered a citizen until a DNA test confirms the father's paternity. The parents would pay for the test, and federal agencies could not issue a passport, Social Security number, or similar document until paternity is verified.

Full text and official record on Congress.gov

Sponsors

• W. Gregory Steube Republican sponsor
• 3 cosponsors