{"id":33269,"date":"2026-05-13T08:48:10","date_gmt":"2026-05-13T15:48:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peninsula360press.com\/?p=33269"},"modified":"2026-05-13T10:17:33","modified_gmt":"2026-05-13T17:17:33","slug":"embarazadas-migrantes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/peninsula360press.com\/en\/embarazadas-migrantes\/","title":{"rendered":"Citizenship at Risk: The Fear Among Pregnant Immigrant Women"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><iframe title=\"Citizenship at Risk: The Fear Among Pregnant Immigrant Women\" width=\"696\" height=\"392\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/7oa76M87sBc?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #808080;\"><strong>By Pamela Cruz with collaboration from Manuel Ortiz. Peninsula 360 Press.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Adriana is 20 weeks pregnant. She lives in the Bay Area, has three children and, like thousands of immigrant mothers in the United States, is going through her pregnancy with an anxiety that just a few years ago seemed unthinkable: not knowing whether the baby she is expecting will be recognized as a U.S. citizen.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cYes, I have heard about it and it is a major cause for concern not knowing what awaits us as mothers\u2026 I have other children, and that\u2019s when I start thinking about what is going to happen in this case with my other children and with the one who is coming,\u201d she says.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Her fear has a concrete origin. In January 2025, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to restrict birthright citizenship, a measure that seeks to automatically deny citizenship to children of undocumented immigrants or those with certain temporary immigration statuses.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The order directly challenges the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, in force since 1868, which establishes that every person born on U.S. soil is a citizen.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The dispute has already reached the U.S. Supreme Court, where several justices expressed skepticism toward the Trump administration\u2019s arguments during oral hearings held on April 1, 2026.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, while the justices deliberate, the effects of the policy are already being felt in the daily lives of immigrant families.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Childhood under watch<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In Adriana\u2019s home (her name has been changed for security reasons), fear has altered the family\u2019s routine. Parks, children\u2019s parties, and even family trips are no longer safe spaces.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWe have limited some things\u2026 not going to parks that my children want to go to because we can\u2019t,\u201d she explains.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The reason behind those decisions is fear of immigration enforcement operations or encounters with authorities. Even simple activities, such as visiting Disneyland or Universal Studios, have become risks the family is no longer willing to take.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cMy daughter has been asking since last year for us to take her to Disney\u2026 and with tremendous sadness, I just tell her later,\u201d she says.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Her youngest son dreams of visiting Toy Story Land. She tries to make up for it by buying him toys.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cIt\u2019s very sad\u2026 not being able to take them out freely,\u201d she says.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The emotional impact is already visible in her children. Her eldest daughter has developed anxiety and fear of the police.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cMami, \u00bfno va a llegar la polic\u00eda?\u201d, recuerda Adriana que le pregunta constantemente.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cIt breaks my heart that this is affecting my daughter as well,\u201d she adds.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mental health specialists have warned in recent years that constant fear of deportation and immigration uncertainty generate toxic stress in minors, affecting sleep, school performance, and emotional well-being, particularly in mixed-status families.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_33271\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-33271\" style=\"width: 1280px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-33271 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/peninsula360press.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/rostro-censurado-1.png\" alt=\"Adriana tiene 20 semanas de embarazo. Vive en el \u00c1rea de la Bah\u00eda, tiene tres hijos y, como otras embarazadas migrantes en Estados Unidos, atraviesa su embarazo con angustia. \" width=\"1280\" height=\"857\" srcset=\"https:\/\/peninsula360press.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/rostro-censurado-1.png 1280w, https:\/\/peninsula360press.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/rostro-censurado-1-300x201.png 300w, https:\/\/peninsula360press.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/rostro-censurado-1-1024x686.png 1024w, https:\/\/peninsula360press.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/rostro-censurado-1-768x514.png 768w, https:\/\/peninsula360press.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/rostro-censurado-1-18x12.png 18w, https:\/\/peninsula360press.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/rostro-censurado-1-150x100.png 150w, https:\/\/peninsula360press.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/rostro-censurado-1-696x466.png 696w, https:\/\/peninsula360press.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/rostro-censurado-1-1068x715.png 1068w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-33271\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Adriana is 20 weeks pregnant. She lives in the Bay Area, has three children, and, like other pregnant migrants in the United States, is going through her pregnancy with anxiety. Photo: P360P<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2><b>A pregnancy shaped by stress<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For Adriana, pregnancy unfolds between daily exhaustion and psychological pressure.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cDaily life is already stressful with the children, but now adding all this about what is going to happen\u2026 it has a tremendous effect,\u201d she says.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Prenatal stress linked to immigration fears has become a growing concern among community organizations and specialists, who warn that chronic anxiety during pregnancy can affect both physical and emotional health.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Legal uncertainty is also pushing many families to consider extreme decisions.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI have sometimes wanted to make the decision to go back to my country\u2026 but my husband asks me, what about the children?\u201d she says.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The possibility of separating from her partner or leaving behind the life built in the United States is a constant topic in family conversations.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cIt\u2019s very sad\u2026 breaking up a family,\u201d she says.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>A debate that redefines belonging<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">During a briefing organized by American Community Media (ACoM), academics, lawyers, and activists warned that the debate over birthright citizenship is not only about immigration, but identity.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cFundamentally, we are debating what kind of country the United States should be,\u201d said Hiroshi Motomura, a law professor at UCLA and immigration expert.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He warned that the Trump administration is not only seeking to restrict rights for those who are undocumented, but to redefine who can be considered American.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThe administration has announced that they are trying to redefine what it means to be a U.S. citizen,\u201d he said in a previous ACoM conference.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Concerns have grown as recent immigration measures have also affected people with recognized legal protections, including DACA, TPS, humanitarian parole beneficiaries, and some permanent residents.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cOne day we are welcomed into the United States, and the next we are discarded,\u201d said Venezuelan activist Adelys Ferro.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Economic and social consequences<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Beyond the immediate human impact, experts warn that restricting birthright citizenship would have profound economic consequences.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A study cited during the ACoM session estimates that beneficiaries of this right will have contributed $7.7 trillion to the U.S. economy between 1975 and 2074.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Researcher Phillip Connor of Princeton University explained that approximately two-thirds of those who obtain birthright citizenship work or will be employed in professions that require higher education.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Eliminating this right could result in a projected shortage of 400,000 skilled workers in the coming decades.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sectors such as healthcare would be particularly affected, according to Xiao Wang, CEO of Boundless Immigration, who warned that foreign doctors and nurses might choose other countries if their children\u2019s legal future remains uncertain.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cDoes the United States want to continue being the place where the brightest people in the world come to build, discover, heal, and stay?\u201d he asked.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>The risk of creating a new population without rights<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Dr. Julia Gelatt of the Migration Policy Institute warned that abolishing birthright citizenship could increase, rather than reduce, the undocumented population.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThe undocumented immigrant population could grow significantly by 2.7 million over the next 20 years,\u201d she said, noting that around 255,000 children could be born each year without legal status.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Experts warn that this could lead to entire generations excluded from public benefits, with limited access to higher education and no ability to work legally.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThis means that children would grow up in the United States without access to Medicaid, food assistance, or other public benefits,\u201d Gelatt explained.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The fear is not abstract. For Adriana, it has a face: that of her children.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI am very grateful to this country mainly because it gave me my children\u2026 this is where I built my family,\u201d she says.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That is why the fear feels even more painful.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cAll we want is what is best for our children,\u201d she says.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As the Supreme Court prepares to issue a ruling that could redefine the very meaning of citizenship in the United States, thousands of migrant mothers are living their pregnancies between medical appointments, sleepless nights, and questions that still have no answers.<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #808080;\">This story was produced as part of \u201cAqu\u00ed Estamos\/Here We Stand,\u201d a collaborative reporting project of<\/span>\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/americancommunitymedia.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">American Community Media<\/a>\u00a0<span style=\"color: #808080;\">exploring the impact of Trump Administration\u2019s war on immigrants in communities across California.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">-<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #808080;\">Esta historia fue producida como parte de \u00abAqu\u00ed Estamos\/Here We Stand\u00bb, un proyecto de reportaje colaborativo de<\/span>\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/americancommunitymedia.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">American Community Media<\/a>\u00a0<span style=\"color: #808080;\">que explora el impacto de la guerra de la Administraci\u00f3n Trump contra los inmigrantes en comunidades de toda California.<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>You may be interested in:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/peninsula360press.com\/en\/condiciones-de-detencion-de-ice\/\">Temperaturas g\u00e9lidas y pollo crudo: una mujer del Valle Central recuerda las condiciones de detenci\u00f3n de ICE<\/a><\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Por Pamela Cruz con colaboraci\u00f3n de Manuel Ortiz. Pen\u00ednsula 360 Press. Adriana tiene 20 semanas de embarazo. Vive en el \u00c1rea de la Bah\u00eda, tiene tres hijos y, como miles de madres migrantes en Estados Unidos, atraviesa su embarazo con una angustia que hace apenas unos a\u00f1os parec\u00eda impensable: no saber si el beb\u00e9 que [&hellip;]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":33271,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14,118],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-33269","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cover","category-migracion"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/peninsula360press.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33269","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/peninsula360press.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/peninsula360press.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/peninsula360press.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/peninsula360press.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33269"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/peninsula360press.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33269\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":33283,"href":"https:\/\/peninsula360press.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33269\/revisions\/33283"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/peninsula360press.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/33271"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/peninsula360press.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33269"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/peninsula360press.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33269"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/peninsula360press.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33269"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}