The debate over birthright citizenship in the United States has expanded to the country's Pacific territories, with lawmakers introducing new legislation aimed at closing what they describe as a birth tourism loophole. Republican Rep. Morgan Griffith has proposed a bill targeting birthright citizenship specifically in US territories, while Senator Jim Banks has separately put forward a "Citizenship Act" seeking to amend the 14th Amendment's birthright citizenship clause to address illegal entries and birth tourism more broadly. The moves reflect growing Republican efforts to curb the practice, which critics say allows foreign nationals to travel to US soil specifically to give birth and secure citizenship for their children.

The territory in question has a documented history of being used as a "birth tourism" destination, particularly by Chinese nationals seeking automatic US citizenship for their children without the immigration hurdles associated with the mainland. Banks' bill draws on reasoning from Justice Brett Kavanaugh's past opinions and would redefine children born to certain immigrants as "children of invaders" for citizenship purposes. Former acting ICE director Jonathan Fahey described the Citizenship Act as an "interesting approach" to tackling birth tourism during a Fox Business appearance discussing the legislation.