Media
Event Summary
A recent U.S. Supreme Court decision addressing birthright citizenship has renewed debate over one of the most consequential questions in immigration policy for any nation: Who should be entitled to citizenship?
To examine the current state of citizenship policy, especially as it relates to immigration, the International Network for Immigration Research (INIR) held a panel discussion featuring policy experts from the United States, France, Israel, and Hungary, hosted by the Center for Immigration Studies. The panel explored how different democracies define citizenship, the historical development of their laws, and the policy choices that shape them today.
While the United States has long interpreted the 14th Amendment to confer citizenship broadly on nearly all children born on U.S. soil, many countries have adopted different approaches. Some place greater emphasis on parental citizenship, while others have modified their laws over time; France, for example, revised its citizenship laws in the 1990s to move away from automatic citizenship at birth.
Panelists
Pawel Styrna, Director of International Relations, Federation for American Immigration Reform, Washington, D.C.
Nicolas Pouvreau-Monti, Executive Director of the Immigration and Demography Observatory (OID), Paris
Yonatan Jakubowicz, Executive Director of the Israeli Immigration Policy Center, Jerusalem.
Viktor Marsai, Executive Director of the Migration Research Institute, Budapest
Moderator: Mark Krikorian, Executive Director, Center for Immigration Studies, Washington, D.C.
Date and Location
July 28, 2026
Washington, DC
Mark Krikorian's Introduction
Pawel Styrna's Statement
Yonatan Jakubowicz's Statement
Nicolas Pouvreau-Monti's Statement
Viktor Marsai's Statement