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119-hr-9724119th Congress

End Birthright Citizenship for Territories Act

Sponsored By: Representative Griffith, H. Morgan [R-VA-9]

Introduced

Summary

This bill would end territorial birthright citizenship by limiting who gets U.S. citizenship at birth in Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). It sets a uniform cutoff of January 1, 2027 and preserves citizenship for certain children linked to U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents.

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  • People born in Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and the CNMI would only receive automatic U.S. citizenship for births that occur before January 1, 2027. Births in those territories on or after that date would not carry territorial birthright citizenship under the amended rules.
  • Children born in the territories to a U.S. citizen or to an alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence would keep their citizenship or nationality status despite the new time limits. The bill explicitly preserves those family-based exceptions.
  • The bill changes four specific parts of the Immigration and Nationality Act and amends the CNMI covenant to create these parallel, time-limited eligibility windows. It grounds the changes in Congress’s territorial authority and references the Insular Cases.

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Bill Overview

Analyzed Economic Effects

1 provisions identified: 0 benefits, 0 costs, 1 mixed.

Limits citizenship for territory births

If enacted, the bill would limit automatic U.S. citizenship tied to birth in four U.S. territories. People born in Puerto Rico after January 13, 1941 and before January 1, 2027 would be U.S. citizens by birth. People born in the U.S. Virgin Islands after February 25, 1927 and before January 1, 2027 would be U.S. citizens by birth. People born in Guam after August 1, 1950 and before January 1, 2027 would be U.S. citizens by birth. People born in the Northern Mariana Islands before January 1, 2027 would be treated as U.S. nationals or citizens under the Covenant. People born in these territories on or after January 1, 2027 would not get automatic U.S. citizenship from being born there. These changes would take effect upon enactment. The bill would not change citizenship for people born in the United States before January 1, 2027. It would also not change citizenship for a person born in a U.S. territory if a parent is a U.S. citizen or a lawful permanent resident.

Sponsors & CoSponsors

Sponsor

Griffith, H. Morgan [R-VA-9]

VA • R

Cosponsors

  • Rep. Norman, Ralph [R-SC-5]

    SC • R

    Sponsored 7/21/2026

Roll Call Votes

No roll call votes available for this bill.

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