End Birthright Citizenship for Territories Act

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 9724 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 9724

To clarify United States birthright citizenship laws in the territories
and combat foreign nationals who are seeking citizenship in the United
                          States territories.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 16, 2026

 Mr. Griffith introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on Natural
 Resources, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker,
 in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the
                jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

To clarify United States birthright citizenship laws in the territories
and combat foreign nationals who are seeking citizenship in the United
                          States territories.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``End Birthright Citizenship for
Territories Act''.

SEC. 2 BACKGROUND.

    Whereas, under article IV, section 3, clause 2, the Constitution
states: ``The Congress shall have Power to dispose of and make all
needful Rules and Regulations respecting the Territory or other
Property belonging to the United States;'';
    Whereas, Supreme Court of the United States precedents, known
collectively as the Insular Cases, stands for the proposition that
Congress has the power to legislate with respect to the United States
territories, including citizenship status;
    Whereas, Congress has previously granted citizenship by statute to
four of the five United States territories but not to the people of
American Samoa;
    Whereas, the decision in Trump v. Barbara did not address or call
into question any of these Insular Case based statutes; and
    Whereas, Congress has the inherent authority to change statutes
relating to citizenship of persons born in the territories.

SEC. 3. LIMITATION ON CITIZENSHIP FOR INDIVIDUALS BORN IN THE
              COMMONWEALTH OF PUERTO RICO.

    (a) In General.--Title III of the Immigration and Nationality Act
section 302 (8 U.S.C. 1402) is amended by striking the comma after
``after January 13, 1941,'' and adding ``and before January 1, 2027,''.

SEC. 4. LIMITATION ON CITIZENSHIP FOR INDIVIDUALS BORN IN THE TERRITORY
              OF THE VIRGIN ISLANDS.

    (a) In General.--Title III of the Immigration and Nationality Act
section 306 (8 U.S.C. 1402) is amended in subparagraph (b) by inserting
the ``and before January 1, 2027,'' after ``after February 25, 1927,''.

SEC. 5. LIMITATION ON CITIZENSHIP FOR INDIVIDUALS BORN IN THE TERRITORY
              OF GUAM.

    (a) In General.--Title III of the Immigration and Nationality Act
section 307 (8 U.S.C. 1406) is amended--
            (1) in subparagraph (b) by striking the parenthesis before
        ``whether'' and after ``1950'';
            (2) by adding a comma before ``whether'' and after
        ``1950''; and
            (3) by adding after ``August 1, 1950'' the following: ``and
        before January 1, 2027.''.

SEC. 6. LIMITATION ON CITIZENSHIP FOR INDIVIDUALS BORN IN THE
              COMMONWEALTH OF THE NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS.

    (a) In General.--Subchapter I--The Covenant to Establish a
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands in Political Union with
the United States of America, as approved under Public Law 94-241,
section 303 at (48 U.S.C. 1801) is amended in subsection 303 by adding
after ``and'' the following: ``before January 1, 2027, are'' and by
striking ``at birth'' at the end.
    (b) Applicability.--
            (1) The amendment made by subsection (a), (b), (c) and (d)
        shall not be construed to affect the citizenship or nationality
        status of any person born in the United States before January
        1, 2027.
            (2) The amendment made by subsection (a), (b), (c) and (d)
        shall not be construed to affect the citizenship or nationality
        of a person born in the United States territories, who is born
        as a child of a United States citizen or the child of an alien
        lawfully admitted for permanent residence in the United States.
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