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How Trump’s resolve to end birthright citizenship will affect Indians in US
The Indian-American community, now over 5.4 million strong, has become integral to the U.S. economy, particularly in fields like technology, healthcare, and academia. Trump’s proposed immigration changes, particularly his push to eliminate birthright citizenship, have sparked deep concern within this community.
Republican presidential nominee former U.S. President Donald Trump gestures next to his wife Melania Trump, son Barron Trump and Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance, following early results from the 2024 U.S. presidential election in Palm Beach County Convention Center, in West Palm Beach, Florida, U.S., November 6, 2024. / REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo
On his first day of office as President, Donald Trump has announced his intention to sign an executive order to end automatic U.S. citizenship for children born to undocumented immigrants, framing it as part of a broader initiative to curb illegal immigration.
Trump’s proposed policy would instruct federal agencies to apply the 14th Amendment’s citizenship clause exclusively to children born to U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents. This shift would prevent children of undocumented immigrants from receiving U.S. citizenship, Social Security numbers, passports, and certain welfare benefits.
“I will sign an executive order making clear to federal agencies that under the correct interpretation of the law, going forward, the future children of illegal aliens will not receive automatic U.S. citizenship. At least one parent will have to be a citizen or a legal resident in order to qualify,” Trump declared.
Will Indians be affected?
If this executive order takes effect, children born to Indian couples—where neither parent is a U.S. citizen nor a green card holder—would no longer qualify for automatic citizenship.
Indian nationals, many of whom are skilled professionals on H-1B visas, face particularly long waits for green cards due to annual limits. Only 140,000 employment-based green cards are available each year, with an additional cap limiting any single country to no more than seven percent of the total.
For many Indian nationals caught in the decades-long backlog for green cards, birthright citizenship has provided critical security for their U.S.-born children, even as the parents navigate prolonged waits for permanent residency.
As a result, thousands of Indian families find themselves in an uncertain legal status, and the potential loss of birthright citizenship raises further concerns about stability and security for their U.S.-born children.
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