How a Trump Birthright Citizenship Order Would Affect Millions of Children

President Donald Trump proposed earlier this week to end birthright citizenship—the 14th Amendment which guarantees that everyone born in the U.S. is automatically a citizen, no matter the status of their parents. The feasibility of this proposal is hotly debated, but nevertheless, if implemented, it could change the lives of immigrant families for generations to come.

New data from the Migration Policy Institute estimates that more than four million children could be affected by such a restriction. Using census data from the American Community Survey, which collects information like citizenship and place of birth, and data from the Survey of Income and Program Participation, which tallies green card status, researchers estimated how many U.S.-born children have at least one parent who is an undocumented immigrant.