LaHargoue promotes unconventional parenting and identity documents approach

A growing number of social media influencers are promoting an unconventional approach to parenting and identity documents, claiming that children don't need traditional birth certificates or government-issued identification to travel internationally.

Influencer LaHargoue has built a business around this idea, offering guidance and support to parents who want to obtain passports for their children without registering their births. She claims to have worked with over 1,000 parents in this capacity, and offers two levels of service: a basic package that costs $497 and a more intensive "hand-holding option that costs $997.

LaHargoue's approach is aligned with the sovereign citizen movement, a loose network of anti-government activists who believe they are not subject to US law. This ideology has been around for nearly half a century, but its modern manifestation is being fueled by social media and online platforms.

Proponents of this idea use the hashtag #sovereignbabies to describe children who are issued alternative identification documents instead of traditional birth certificates. LaHargoue's own account is one example of how this movement is being promoted online.

The rise of influencers like LaHargoue represents a new and digitally native outgrowth of the sovereign citizen movement, which has been linked to acts of protest such as tax evasion, driving without a license, and domestic terrorism. As more parents seek out alternative means of obtaining passports for their children, it remains to be seen how this trend will play out in the years ahead.

The concept of sovereign babies has gained traction among some parents who reject the idea that their children need identification documents or formal registration with the government.

These families often cite concerns about government overreach and a desire for autonomy in raising their children, which can lead them to seek out alternative means of obtaining passports or other documents.

Some entrepreneurs have capitalized on this trend by offering services such as Status Correction FastTrack Bundles that promise to secure noncitizen national passports for a fee.

These bundles often come with hefty price tags, with one company charging upwards of $555 for its services.

Family law attorneys like Adam Bojak are starting to see an uptick in cases involving sovereign children, who are often reluctant to accept formal identification documents or register their children with the government.

Bojak attributes this phenomenon to the psychic break that occurred during the Covid pandemic, which left many people feeling socially and emotionally isolated.

As LaHargoue continues to share her unconventional parenting approach on social media platforms, she subtly weaves in criticisms of mainstream institutions, including conventional education systems.

Her online presence is a testament to the eclectic nature of sovereign baby ideology, where parents are encouraged to reject traditional norms and forge their own paths.

In a recent podcast appearance, LaHargoue elaborated on her views regarding the US school system, suggesting that it serves as a tool for governments to contract children as human capital from birth.

This notion is echoed in the rise of world schooling, where parents opt for travel-based learning experiences over traditional curricula. By doing so, they aim to provide their children with a more nuanced understanding of different cultures and histories.

Jemila Moore, a South Carolina-based doula, has taken this approach to heart by eschewing birth certificates and Social Security numbers for her three youngest children. Instead, she focuses on providing them with passports and encouraging travel experiences that allow them to engage directly with foreign cultures.

Moore's approach is not without its benefits; she believes that world schooling enables her children to develop a more profound understanding of the world beyond textbook learning.

The absence of crucial documents can severely limit one's ability to navigate everyday life, hindering efforts to drive, find employment, or secure housing.

The widespread adoption of birth certificates in the 1930s coincided with President FDR's executive order replacing gold as the backing standard for US currency. This shift has been cited by some sovereign citizens as evidence that the government uses individuals' personal information to back its financial dealings.

According to this theory, when parents obtain a birth certificate and Social Security number for their child, the government creates an account in their name, using it as collateral to support the country's debt. Proponents of the straw man theory argue that this allows individuals to disassociate themselves from their legal personas, claiming that laws do not apply to them.

However, no US court has ever recognized these arguments, according to family law attorney Christopher C. who has worked with cases involving sovereign citizens.

The modern sovereign citizens movement has its roots in a hate-fueled group called Posse Comitatus, which translates to power of the county from Latin.

Founded by an ex-Army lieutenant colonel named William Potter Gale in Southern California during the 1970s, Posse Comitatus was based on racist and antisemitic ideologies.

As the US agricultural crisis deepened, Posse Comitatus' ideology began to spread rapidly across the country, fueled by conspiracy-driven ideas that questioned government authority.

The anti-government tactics pioneered by Posse Comitatus eventually gave rise to a larger sovereign citizens' movement, comprising dozens of distinct factions and chapters operating in various states. One such group is the American State Nationals, which aligns with sovereign citizen ideology but distances itself from the label due to its problematic origins in white supremacist ideologies.

The American State Nationals believe that individuals can obtain noncitizen national passports, which grant limited diplomatic immunity based on the number of stars emblazoned on them. Some groups even sell packages online for several hundred dollars, promising to extricate buyers from their contract with the US government by redefining their nationality rather than citizenship.

Sovereign baby parents are notoriously difficult to pin down, defying easy categorization or affiliation with any particular political party or religious group. While some may adopt holistic and off-grid lifestyles, there's no clear link between sovereignty practitioners and the anti-vax movement, which has been associated with some far-right ideologies.

The sovereign baby phenomenon is more akin to a vast network of individuals connected by their shared belief that applying for a birth certificate and Social Security number binds their children to the United States corporation." This idea is a central tenet of sovereignty ideology, which views government institutions as mere corporations rather than legitimate authorities.

The process of obtaining a passport for a child without a birth certificate can be complex, but some individuals have found ways to navigate it successfully. The US Department of State requires evidence of citizenship before approving a passport, and typically this means presenting a primary document such as a birth certificate.

However, the agency also accepts secondary forms of evidence, including delayed birth certificates and Letters of No Record issued by the state. These documents must be accompanied by public record documents like hospital birth certificates, baptism records, school records, or census records. Some individuals have found alternative ways to provide proof of citizenship.

A woman in Texas, who wishes to remain anonymous, purchased an instructional video from a catalog that offers guidance on this process. She submitted baptism records, a family Bible with written inscriptions noting the births and deaths of relatives, an affidavit confirming her child's birth, and a formal announcement in a local newspaper announcing his arrival.

She notarized each document and sent them certified through the mail to the Department of State, which ultimately approved her application for a passport. This approach is consistent with the sovereign thinking that emphasizes the importance of documenting life events through personal records rather than official government documents.