Indian immigrants on temporary visas in the US are living in uncertainty as the Trump administration's proposal to end birthright citizenship gains momentum. With the future of their children's citizenship hanging in the balance, many are even contemplating returning to India
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Mitali Gosrani's life has been mired with uncertainty since US President Donald Trump took office on January 20 and announced a series of executive orders, including the proposed elimination of birthright citizenship. As a 33-year-old Indian immigrant living in San Jose, California, Gosrani is worried about the fate of her unborn child, due on February 25, six days after the proposed order is initially set to come into effect.
"The order is currently on hold, but many questions remain unanswered," she says, expressing frustration about the lack of clear procedures for her baby's citizenship. "If the order doesn't come into effect, what will the procedure be? Will it remain the same, or will there be changes? We're in limbo right now."
Originally from Mumbai, Gosrani, who works for an accounting firm, has been living in the US since 2014 on an H-4 dependent visa, while her husband, a hardware engineer, holds an H-1B visa. They applied for a green card in 2017 and are still awaiting a decision. With their two-year-old daughter already a US citizen, Gosrani and her husband are exploring Plan B—moving back to India—but are worried about the potential consequences about their children's futures.
Like Gosrani, many other immigrant families face ambiguity under the current administration. A recent lawsuit filed by Washington State against the Trump administration's order to end birthright citizenship has taken a significant turn. Three pregnant non-citizen women have joined the case, which has been consolidated with another lawsuit filed by the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project.
The Trump administration's executive order aims to end birthright citizenship for babies born to non-US citizens or non-lawful permanent resident parents. On January 23, US District Court Judge John Coughenour granted a 14-day restraining order, blocking the executive action until February 19, calling it "blatantly unconstitutional”.