Birthright Citizenship in U.S. Territories (HR9724)
Current understanding
HR9724 is an introduced bill that seeks to clarify how U.S. birthright citizenship laws apply to persons born in U.S. territories and to restrict foreign nationals from obtaining citizenship through births occurring in those territories. Unlike broader birthright citizenship debates focused on the Fourteenth Amendment’s application on the mainland, this proposal targets the statutory citizenship framework applicable to territories (e.g., Puerto Rico, Guam, U.S. Virgin Islands, Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa), where citizenship is largely governed by statute rather than the Citizenship Clause. Practical effect on affected groups (residents of territories, children of noncitizen visitors, and prospective migrants) remains undefined pending bill text review; status: introduced.
Evidence log
- 2025-05-13 — Born in the USA Act of 2025: cross-connection with born-in-the-usa-act-2025: Related citizenship-scope legislation, though HR9724 addresses U.S. territories rather than jus soli generally. (novelty: 2)
- 2025-01-29 — Birthright Citizenship Act of 2025: cross-connection with birthright-citizenship-act-2025: HR569 (mainland) and HR9724 (territories) together represent a coordinated legislative approach to narrowing birthright citizenship across all U.S. jurisdictions. (novelty: 2)
- 2026-07-23 — To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to provide for the inadmissibility of certain aliens seeking citizenship for children by giving birth in the United States, and for other purposes.: cross-connection with birth-tourism-ina-inadmissibility-hr9919: Companion strand in the broader birthright-citizenship policy debate: HR9724 addresses citizenship acquisition in U.S. territories while HR9919 targets the parent’s admissibility for entering with the purpose of a U.S. birth. (novelty: 2)
- 2025-01-04 — To restore the ability of the people of American Samoa to approve amendments to the territorial constitution based on majority rule in a democratic act of self-determination, as authorized pursuant to an Act of Congress delegating administration of Federal territorial law in the territory to the President, and to the Secretary of the Interior under Executive Order 10264, dated June 29, 1951, under which the Constitution of American Samoa was approved and may be amended without requirement for further congressional action, subject to the authority of Congress under the Territorial Clause in article IV, section 3, clause 2 of the United States Constitution.: cross-connection with american-samoa-constitutional-self-determination: Both address civil and political rights of residents of U.S. territories under the Territorial Clause, with American Samoa a recurring focal point for questions of self-determination and constitutional status. (novelty: 3)
- 2026-07-16 — To clarify United States birthright citizenship laws in the territories and combat foreign nationals who are seeking citizenship in the United States territories.: cross-connection with birthright-citizenship-act-2025: Both are legislative proposals restricting birthright citizenship; HR9724 targets territories specifically while HR569 addresses the general Fourteenth Amendment framework, together forming a two-track legislative strategy. (novelty: 2)