Tipsheet

Can You Guess What Percent of Newborn Children in the US Are Born to Non-Citizens?

Dmitri Bolt
Dmitri Bolt  |  April 02, 2026 12:00 PM

According to a new Pew Research study, nearly 10 percent of newborns in the United States are born to non-citizen mothers, as the Supreme Court signaled skepticism about altering the current interpretation of birthright citizenship under the 14th Amendment.

From Pew Research:

In 2023, mothers who were unauthorized immigrants or had legal temporary status in the U.S. had 320,000 babies, representing about 9% of all 3.6 million babies born in the U.S. that year. About 260,000 of those babies would not have qualified for birthright citizenship if Trump’s executive order had already been in effect.

This includes: 

About 245,000 babies born to mothers who were unauthorized immigrants and fathers who were not citizens or lawful permanent residents. 

About 15,000 babies born to mothers who had legal temporary status and fathers who were not citizens or lawful permanent residents

This comes after oral arguments at the Supreme Court yesterday over an executive order the president signed on his first day in office seeking to limit birthright citizenship. 

While the issue may appear straightforward in practice, the justices, including the conservative majority, seemed to view it skeptically, largely because they identified scenarios in which the administration’s definition might not align with the Amendment’s original intent.

Supporters of the administration argue that the United States is one of the few countries with expansive birthright citizenship laws, and continue to point out that both foreign actors and illegal immigrants are exploiting the system to their advantage.