Big changes are hitting the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services as the Trump administration doubles down on biological reality.
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, a key agency under the Department of Homeland Security, rolled out major policy updates on Wednesday, April 2, 2025, to align with an executive order from President Trump that recognizes only two biological sexes—male and female—across federal policy.
For years, conservatives have argued that common sense should guide government rules, and now that fight has reached immigration and naturalization documents.
Back in April 2024, USCIS had opened the door for folks applying for benefits to pick an “X” gender marker on their forms, a move that riled up traditionalists.
That option didn’t last long, as President Trump signed an executive order on January 20, 2025, called “Defending Women from Gender Ideology and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government.”
The order laid down the law: only male and female sexes would be recognized, and every agency in the executive branch had to fall in line.
Fast forward to this week, and USCIS made it official, scrubbing the “X” marker from all its forms and policies.
The agency, tasked with overseeing the nation’s immigration and naturalization system, updated its policy manual—the go-to guide for how it handles benefits and issues documents.
Now, if you’re applying for citizenship or other immigration perks, you’re either male or female, no in-between.
Under the new rules, USCIS will look at your birth certificate, the one issued at or near your birth, to figure out your sex.
If that’s missing, they’ll dig into secondary evidence to settle the matter, keeping things rooted in biology.
Gone are the days of picking a gender based on feelings—the word “gender” itself has been swapped out for “sex” across the policy manual.
Even an appendix that used to let medical professionals certify gender identity got the axe, signaling a clean break from past practices.
Tricia McLaughlin, DHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs, put it plain and simple: “There are only two sexes—male and female.”
She added that President Trump’s promise of a “revolution of common sense” is coming to life, with government policy finally matching “simple biological reality.”
For many on the right, this move is a long-overdue victory, putting science and tradition back at the heart of federal decision-making.
The executive order doesn’t just stop at USCIS—it’s a blueprint for every agency under Trump’s command to enforce laws protecting the two sexes.
As the administration pushes forward, expect more changes that reflect the MAGA commitment to cutting through what they see as ideological nonsense.