Proposing an amendment to the Constitution to protect American citizenship.

Key Points

• This proposed constitutional amendment would redefine who qualifies for birthright citizenship under the 14th Amendment. It narrows the meaning of "subject to the jurisdiction of the United States" so that being born on U.S. soil alone is no longer enough to become a citizen.
• Under this proposal, a baby born in the U.S. would only get automatic citizenship if at least one parent is a U.S. citizen, a lawful permanent resident (green card holder) living in the U.S., or a legal immigrant serving in the military.
• Children born in the U.S. to parents on temporary visas (such as tourist, student, or work visas) or to undocumented immigrants would no longer receive automatic citizenship at birth.
• As a constitutional amendment, this faces an extremely high bar: it needs two-thirds approval from both the House and Senate, then ratification by three-quarters of all state legislatures within seven years.
• The amendment was introduced by Rep. Barr and referred to the House Judiciary Committee. It gives Congress the power to pass additional laws to enforce the new citizenship rules.