IAP testifies before Congress on Birthright Citizenship

Rosemary Jenks, Cofounder and Policy Director of the Immigration Accountability Project, testified before the House Subcommittee on the Constitution and Limited Government on birthright citizenship on Wednesday. She addressed the Supreme Court's ruling in Trump v. Barbara, which struck down Pres. Trump's executive order on birthright citizenship, and detailed the legal arguments and legislative options available to Congress to restrict automatic U.S. citizenship for children of illegal aliens and temporary visitors.

In her discussion of Trump v. Barbara, Rosemary emphasized that while the Court struck down the executive order, it did not strip Congress of its statutory or constitutional authority over immigration and naturalization:

"The Supreme Court's decision in Barbara overturned an executive order. It did not strip Congress of its constitutional plenary power over immigration and naturalization. In fact, I would argue that the ruling actually invites Congress to step into the breach that the Court has created."

Jenks reviewed the administrative history of birthright citizenship, noting that before 1966, the federal government required applicants to list parental citizenship status on passport applications. She pointed out that removing this requirement was a bureaucratic shift rather than a decision mandated by Congress or the courts. 

To address the issue, Jenks pointed to several proposed legislative measures for Congress to pass, including:

• Rep. Chip Roy's Permanent Trump Secure Border Act (H.R. 9773), which would prevent illegal aliens from entering the country, so they can’t give birth here;
• Rep. Brian Babin's Birthright Citizenship Act (H.R. 569), which would limit the automatic granting of U.S. citizenship to children of U.S. citizens, legal permanent residents, and active-duty military personnel; and
• Rep. Eli Crane's Nuclear Family Priority Act (H.R. 2705), which would prevent illegal alien parents of U.S.-born children from obtaining green cards through their children.

Jenks concluded her testimony by urging Congress to act to preserve the value of American citizenship:

"American citizenship is a precious commodity. Our government must zealously protect U.S. citizenship and ensure it is only granted to aliens we have legally invited to permanently join our American community."

You can watch Rosemary's testimony at IAProject.org. To watch the full hearing, including testimony from Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach and former Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, go to the House Judiciary Committee's YouTube site.

Reps. Randy Weber and Anna Paulina Luna make moves in Immigration Rankings

Rep. Randy Weber (R-TX) climbed eight spots to No. 22 and Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) climbed seven spots to No. 50 in this week’s IAP Action Congressional Immigration Rankings.

Rep. Weber’s move came after he cosponsored two bills supported by IAP Action and identified as key legislation: the Fairness for High Skilled Americans Act (H.R. 2315), which would end the Optional Practical Training (OPT) program, and the Nuclear Family Priority Act (H.R. 2705), which would end chain migration. Rep. Mark Harris (R-NC) also cosponsored the Nuclear Family Priority Act this week and moved up a slot in the rankings.

Rep. Luna’s move came after she cosponsored two bills supported by IAP Action: the No Exceptions for Non-Citizens Voting Act (H.R. 9264), which removes all existing legal exceptions so any noncitizen who votes unlawfully is inadmissible and deportable, and the Preventing International Surrogacy Exploitation Act (H.R. 9132), which would void surrogacy agreements between foreign nationals and American citizens.

Also, this week, another Republican, Rep. Rich McCormick (R-GA), joined as a cosponsor of the GOP-sponsored agricultural amnesty bill. The Securing Agriculture’s Workforce Act (H.R. 9535), introduced by Rep. Glenn Thompson (R-PA), would grant amnesty to millions of illegal farm workers and their employers and open up entire industries to the unlimited H-2A visa program.  

You can view the full Congressional Immigration Rankings at IAPAction.com.

Immigration Articles

Lyceum: From the Floor: ‘Democrats change the law and hand out green cards’

Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-MO) details his Senate floor objection to a Democratic unanimous-consent request that would have granted permanent residency to Temporary Protected Status recipients. He argues the measure amounts to a mass amnesty scheme that shields illegal aliens from law enforcement, reverses prior deportations, and permanently ties the hands of future presidents.

“I will always object to this mass amnesty. I will always object to this mass migration. I will always object to putting American workers last. I will always object to tying the hands of our law enforcement. So therefore I object.”

CIS: Census Bureau Survey Shows Total Foreign-Born Down 2.9 Million

According to a Center for Immigration Studies analysis of Census Bureau data, the total foreign-born population in the United States dropped by 2.9 million between January 2025 and July 2026, driven primarily by an estimated 2.3 million decline in the illegal alien population amid stepped-up enforcement.

The Washington Times: Trump’s new birthright citizenship order blocked by federal judge

A federal judge in Maryland blocked President Trump’s revised executive order that sought to restrict birthright citizenship for children of terrorists and foreign government workers, ruling the carveouts likely violate the 14th Amendment following the Supreme Court's ruling in Trump v. Barbara.

DHS: ICE’s August Arrests Break Record for Number of Illegal Aliens Arrested

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement set a single-month arrest record in August 2026 with 50,925 illegal alien arrests, marking the third consecutive month of record-setting totals and the second straight month surpassing 50,000 nationwide apprehensions.

Next Week

After the House briefly returned from recess this week, the House and Senate will be out all of next week for Labor Day. Both chambers are set to return the week of September 14th.