In January 2025, President Donald Trump issued an executive order to end birthright citizenship to any child born to parents who were undocumented or lawful permanent residents. However, courts throughout the country blocked the order. Last week, the supreme court started its hearing against ending birthright citizenship and still pushed back on the action.
Siouxland Public Media spoke with Revathi Vongsiprasom, an immigration lawyer in Sioux City on how ending birthright citizenship would impact all communities.
According to the American Immigration Council, after the Civil War, Congress wrote the 14th amendment where it says all people born or naturalized in the United States and subject to U.S. law are citizens of the United States.
According to the American Immigration Lawyers Association, unconditional citizenship by birth on national soil applies in countries including the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. There are some countries that grant citizenship at birth only if specific requirements are met, including France, Germany, and Ireland. In other countries such as China, Singapore, and Japan, citizenship is granted by the child’s parents regardless of birthplace.
A Center for Migration Studies report states there are about 4.7 million mixed-status households, with 4 million including a U.S. citizen. It also says 5.5 million U.S. born children who are younger than 18 years of age live with undocumented immigrants. It also shows if the undocumented person is deported it has an economic impact on the household, with its overall income dropping over 48 percent.
In 2025, eligibility restrictions were placed on automatic approval of SNAP benefits to exclude refugees, green card holders, and asylum seekers. The National Immigration Law Center provides an example of what Vongsiprasom was explaining. Due to the removal from SNAP benefits, a parent who is a refugee becomes ineligible for benefits. However, their children, who are US citizens by birth, would still qualify, but the family would receive a lower amount than what they were given before. Ending birthright citizenship would not only make children stateless, they would become ineligible for federal programs such as SNAP.
We just heard Revathi Vongsiprasom an immigration lawyer, explain how ending birthright citizenship would impact communities across the country. She also explained some complexities to consider and what would follow ending birthright citizenship. The supreme court is expected to make a decision on birthright citizenship by late June or early July.
