1924年以前，印第安人没有公民权，因为他们被认定为不受美国管辖。
The text of the 1924 Indian Citizenship Act reads as follows:
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That all non citizen Indians born within the territorial limits of the United States be, and they are hereby, declared to be citizens of the United States: Provided That the granting of such citizenship shall not in any manner impair or otherwise affect the right of any Indian to tribal or other property.
In the Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857) decision, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Roger B. Taney stated that even if a Native American gave up his tribal membership and paid taxes, the only path to citizenship was through naturalization, legislation, or provisions of a treaty:[2]: 30
They [the Indian tribes] may without doubt, like the subjects of any foreign government, be naturalized by the authority of Congress and become citizens of a state and of the United States, and if an individual should leave his nation or tribe, and take up his abode among the white population, he would be entitled to all the rights and privileges which would belong to an emigrant from any other foreign people.[3][4]
美国总统川普上任后，签署行政命令终止“出生公民权”，遭到联邦法官阻止；白宫28日表示，政府已提出上诉，也准备好要一路打官司到最高法院。
川普上任后签署行政命令，不再承认美国出生的小孩即自动获得美国公民权；行政命令指出，宪法第14修正案不扩及在美国出生，但未受美国管辖者。
该行政命令原订2月19日生效，不过美国22个州和地区的总检察长提起诉讼，主张川普的行政命令违宪；一名联邦法官在23日暂时阻止了行政命令。
川普上台后，白宫28日举行首场公开记者会，白宫发言人李威特（Karoline Leavitt）表示，22位总检察长和联邦法官的想法与政府不同；李威特指出，川普政府相信“出生公民权是违宪的”。
李威特说，非法移民进到美国所产下的孩子，不受到美国司法管辖。
李威特指出，政府已经向诉讼提出上诉，也准备好在必要时一路打官司到最高法院（Supreme Court）；李威特表示，川普相信取消出生公民权是保护国家和边境必需的一步。
此外，根据有线电视新闻网（CNN）报导，曾在南加州圣伯纳汀诺县（San Bernardino County）经营“快乐宝宝”（USA Happy Baby Inc）月子中心的华人董晶（Jing Dong）因向中国大陆孕妇提供服务，帮助她们的孩子获得美国出生公民身分，去年9月被判有罪之后，法官27日判处董晶41个月有期徒刑。