Yvette Clarke and several Democratic lawmakers welcomed the Supreme Court of the United States decision reaffirming birthright citizenship, describing it as a victory for the Constitution and immigrant families. The ruling struck down President Donald Trump’s executive order that sought to deny automatic U.S. citizenship to children born in the country to undocumented immigrants or temporary visa holders, reaffirming the protections of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.
Rep. Clarke, who represents New York’s 9th Congressional District in Brooklyn, joined fellow lawmakers in praising the decision, arguing that the Court upheld a long-standing constitutional principle that has defined American citizenship for more than 150 years. She said the ruling protects the rights of children born in the United States and preserves a cornerstone of the nation’s democracy.
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The lawmakers emphasized that birthright citizenship is guaranteed under the Constitution and cannot be eliminated through executive action. They also noted that the decision provides certainty for families across the country while rejecting efforts to reinterpret the Citizenship Clause through presidential authority.
The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that children born on U.S. soil are citizens regardless of their parents’ immigration status, reaffirming the precedent established in the 1898 United States v. Wong Kim Ark decision. Chief Justice John Roberts wrote the majority opinion, stating that citizenship is “the right to have rights” and that the promise of the Fourteenth Amendment extends to every person born in the United States.
The decision represents a significant setback for President Trump’s immigration agenda and reinforces that any attempt to change birthright citizenship would require a constitutional amendment rather than executive action or ordinary legislation
