Joint Resolution Proposing Amendment to Clarify and Protect Birthright Citizenship

This joint resolution proposes an amendment to Section 1 of the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution, stating: 'All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. A person born in the United States is not a citizen at birth unless born to at least one parent who is a citizen of the United States or who is a lawful permanent resident at the time of birth.' The amendment applies prospectively to births after ratification and does not affect existing citizens. It aims to end automatic citizenship for children of non-citizens, including undocumented immigrants, while preserving citizenship for children of citizens or green card holders. Upon passage by two-thirds vote in both the House and Senate, the amendment is sent to the states for ratification by three-fourths of state legislatures. States have seven years to ratify. Congress provides no new enforcement powers; citizenship determinations follow existing processes by the State Department and USCIS, now guided by the clarified constitutional text. The Archivist of the United States certifies ratification and publishes the amendment upon achieving the required state approvals.