Maria Sykes

Maria Sykes

January 24, 2025

New Executive Order Bans These Passports in the US

On January 20, 2025, moments after taking the oath of office, President Donald Trump pushed forward his bold and controversial immigration agenda. In a series of sweeping executive orders, the newly inaugurated president set the stage for significant changes to U.S. immigration policy. Among the most headline-grabbing measures were:

Ending Birthright Citizenship

Perhaps the most contentious of these orders, this directive aims to fundamentally alter a principle long rooted in U.S. law. Federal agencies are now instructed to deny citizenship to children born on American soil if their parents don’t meet strict criteria. Specifically, children born to mothers who are undocumented or on temporary visas—and whose fathers are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents—will no longer be granted citizenship.

Effective 30 days after the order’s signing, the policy also blocks these children from obtaining U.S. passports. However, the implications of this directive remain murky, with no clear indication of the legal status these children will hold after birth. Critics argue this could create a generation of stateless individuals, sparking fierce debates about the order’s legality and humanitarian impact.

Enhanced Vetting and Task Forces

Accompanying the birthright citizenship directive are additional orders focused on immigration enforcement, including the creation of “Homeland Security Task Forces” and new, more rigorous vetting procedures for immigrants. These measures, according to the administration, are designed to bolster national security and ensure stricter oversight of immigration pathways.

Executive orders signed

According to BBC News, President Donald Trump signed over 200 executive orders in a single day—an aggressive display of his authority as he charts a new course for his administration. Unlike legislation, executive orders are directives from the president to the federal government that bypass Congress, allowing sweeping changes with the stroke of a pen.

One of the most polarizing orders he signed is provocatively titled “Defending Women From Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government.” The measure sparked immediate debate as it aims to redefine gender strictly as male and female in federal policy.

Key Changes Under the Executive Order

Among the most notable impacts of this order:

  • Prison Policies: Transgender women would no longer be housed in female prisons, a decision framed as ensuring “biological truth” but heavily criticized by LGBTQ+ advocates as harmful and discriminatory.
  • Passports for Non-Binary Individuals: The order also targetted non-binary Americans. Starting immediately, the U.S. State Department has frozen all applications for passports featuring the “X” gender marker, a designation first introduced in October 2021.

An estimated 1.2 million Americans who identify as non-binary, stand to be affected by this rule.

Back to Binary: The End of “X” Markers

In an email obtained by The Guardian, Secretary of State Marco Rubio affirmed the administration’s stance: “The policy of the United States is that an individual’s sex is not changeable.” Rubio instructed staff to immediately halt applications that request an “X” marker or any sex marker changes, effectively sidelining the option for those who don’t identify strictly as male or female.

Existing passports with the “X” designation will remain valid for now, but renewal and update processes are expected to face significant hurdles under the new rules. Critics warned this could leave many non-binary Americans stranded without proper travel documentation in the near future.