ORLANDO, Fla. — The immigrant community across Central Florida and beyond is bracing for a major change. President Donald Trump has issued an executive order that changes how birthright citizenship is interpreted, and that would also change who is and who is not considered an American citizen at birth.
“I think everyone is just scared right now,” said Cristina Faria, who has worked with the immigrant community for decades.
Her clinic offers health care to undocumented immigrants – and she says the concern around here is intensifying. “When I decided to open this clinic, it was exactly to take care of the people who were illegal. They don’t have documentation; they don’t have access to health care. It’s a very difficult situation right now.”
The 14th Amendment states that all persons born or naturalized in the United States are citizens of the United States and of the State where they reside.
It was a historic move back in the 1800s. “Since the children of slaves were not deemed to be U.S. citizens, the 14th Amendment was necessary to bring equality into the parties in the United States,” said Walter Santos, an Orlando Immigration Attorney. “So, it granted citizenship for people who were born here in the United States.”
However, on Monday, President Donald Trump signed an executive order changing that interpretation, stating that American “citizenship does not automatically extend to those born in the United States when that person’s mother was undocumented, and the father was not a United States citizen or green card holder at the time of birth.”
The executive order also states that U.S. citizenship should not be given to children whose parents are in the country legally but only temporarily, like under a tourist, work, or student visa. “If you’re here as a student and you have a child, your child is not going to be deemed as a US citizen,” said Santos. “So, what is this child? Is the child already born illegally, or do we have to apply for a derivative status from the mother’s or father’s student status?”
The change will apply to any parent with a slew of different visas, including the most common F and B statuses (student and visitor visas, respectively).
“We are we are doing everything like we are home. So why can we be considered like a citizen, like at least our babies,” said an immigrant mother who did not want to share her identity. She’s expecting her second child now – and has no idea what immigration status her baby will have.
“The U.S. is our home now. Being an immigrant is having a lot of doubts and worries already, so it’s hard. So not having that will be something else to worry about,” she said,
The executive order is expected to go into effect on February 20th. As many as 25 states across the country have already filed lawsuits to put a stop to it.
▶ WATCH CHANNEL 9 EYEWITNESS NEWS
Read:
Read:
Read:
Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
©2025 Cox Media Group
