Immigrant advocates, community leaders and elected officials gathered in New York on Tuesday to celebrate a U.S. Supreme Court ruling preserving birthright citizenship, calling the decision a major victory for immigrant families while warning that broader attacks on immigrant rights are far from over.
The press conference, organized by the New York Immigration Coalition, Make the Road New York and Hands Off NYC, came after the high court upheld the constitutional principle that anyone born in the United States is a U.S. citizen, regardless of their parents’ immigration status. Attorneys at the event walked attendees through the ruling, while speakers described the decision as a relief for immigrant communities that had spent the past year waiting anxiously for a final outcome.
In 2025, the Trump administration issued an executive order seeking to strip certain children born in the United States of birthright citizenship, setting off a legal challenge that reached the Supreme Court for oral arguments in April 2026. Advocates at Tuesday’s event said the ruling reaffirmed a long-standing constitutional protection that has shaped American law for more than a century.
Murad Awawdeh, president and CEO of the New York Immigration Coalition, said the ruling was a victory not just for immigrant families, but for the Constitution itself.
“Today’s Supreme Court decision is a victory for the Constitution, the rule of law, and the generations of families who have built their lives in this country,” Awawdeh said. “As our nation marks its 250th birthday, the Supreme Court reaffirmed what has been clear for more than 150 years: the Fourteenth Amendment guarantees birthright citizenship, and no president can rewrite the Constitution with the stroke of a pen.”
He said Trump’s attempt to end birthright citizenship was part of a broader effort to weaken legal protections for immigrants.
“Donald Trump’s attempt to end birthright citizenship was both an unprecedented attempt to advance his anti-immigrant agenda and part of a broader effort to dismantle legal pathways to safety, stability, and belonging,” he said.
Awawdeh also pointed to recent Supreme Court rulings involving Temporary Protected Status and asylum at the border, saying those decisions have left hundreds of thousands of families uncertain about their future.
“We celebrate today’s reaffirmation of one of our nation’s most enduring Constitutional guarantees, but we must not forget that just last week the Court’s decisions on Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and asylum at the border have left hundreds of thousands of families facing uncertainty and have given the Administration an undue authority to dismantle humanitarian protections that allow people fleeing violence, disaster and uncertainty to live and work lawfully in the United States,” he said. “Even as we breathe a sigh of relief, Congress must act to create a pathway to citizenship for all immigrants and strengthen the humanitarian protections that reflect our values.”
Aby, a DACA recipient and member of Make the Road New York, said she personally felt the fear sparked by the executive order while pregnant last year.
“Last year, I was pregnant when President Trump signed an executive order attempting to take away birthright citizenship,” Aby said. “Birthright citizenship is a fundamental right of every child born in this country. Every day since that executive order was signed until the day I gave birth, I wondered if my newborn would be considered a U.S. citizen or what would happen to him. What would his birth certificate say? What country would he belong to?”
She said her children are U.S.-born citizens and that the United States is their home.
“My three children, from my oldest to my youngest, are U.S.-born and U.S. citizens. This country is my home and the home of my children,” she said.
Hae-Lin Choi, co-director of Hands Off NYC, said the ruling confirmed a constitutional truth but cautioned against celebrating too quickly.
“After a year of anxiety for immigrant communities, a constitutional truth was affirmed: children born in America are American citizens,” Choi said. “We’re relieved — but we shouldn’t have to be.”
She said the very attempt to overturn birthright citizenship should concern Americans across the political spectrum.
“That a presidential administration even attempted to unilaterally undo a constitutional pillar of our democracy should be cause for concern,” Choi said. “The Trump regime’s continued efforts to shred our constitutional protections in order to target immigrants should be called out and confronted at every level of society — from the streets to the Supreme Court.”
Marwa Janini, executive director of the Arab American Association of New York, said ending birthright citizenship would deepen hardship for mixed-status families.
“As a direct service and advocacy organization, the Arab American Association of New York has assisted countless families as they resettled into New York State since 2001,” Janini said. “Revoking birthright citizenship will only deepen the economic insecurities that mixed status families currently experience leaving them as collateral damage for an unnecessary constitutional adjustment.”
Yoon Ji Kim, executive director of the MinKwon Center for Community Action, said Asian American history is deeply tied to the birthright citizenship issue, pointing to the landmark case Wong Kim Ark.
“Today the Supreme Court reaffirmed once again what the Fourteenth Amendment says clearly: that every child born on American soil is an American citizen without exception,” Kim said. “Asian American history is etched into this ruling as Wong Kim Ark has stood as the bedrock of American citizenship law for more than 100 years.”
She warned that the closeness of the ruling showed how fragile the principle can be.
“But although we celebrate today, the closeness of this decision is a warning,” Kim said. “When the meaning of the Fourteenth Amendment can come down to 1-2 votes, it tells us that the citizenship of immigrant children remains contested in ways it never should be.”
Husein Yatabarry, executive director of the Muslim Community Network, said the decision validated a promise that helped shape his own identity.
“Today’s ruling affirms a promise that made me who I am,” Yatabarry said. “As a child of immigrants and a recipient of birthright citizenship, I know firsthand that this guarantee is not abstract — it is the difference between belonging and being told you don’t.”
He said the Court upheld the meaning of the 14th Amendment.
“The Court has upheld what the 14th Amendment has always stood for: that every child born on this soil is fully American,” Yatabarry said. “Birthright citizenship helped make this country what it is, and today that promise endures.”
New York Attorney General Letitia James called the ruling a defense of a basic constitutional principle.
“Birthright citizenship is a constitutional guarantee that has defined this nation for generations,” James said. “Our country was built by immigrants, and we draw our strength from those who come here seeking a better life.”
She said the decision spared children and families from uncertainty.
“I am relieved for the children who will never know how close the American dream came to being taken from them, and for the families who will never have to explain to a child why the country they were born in refuses to accept them,” James said. “Every person born in the United States is an American. That was true yesterday, it is true today, and we will never stop fighting to make sure it remains true tomorrow.”
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said the ruling reaffirmed a defining truth of American life.
“Despite Trump’s best efforts to bully them, the Supreme Court just reaffirmed that if you are born in America, you belong in America,” Schumer said. “For 250 years, America has been a nation made stronger by immigrants.”
He said the Fourteenth Amendment reflects that history.
“The framers of the Fourteenth Amendment wove that value into our Constitution, affirming that those born on American soil are citizens,” Schumer said. “No matter how much President Trump tries to steal citizenship from people that the Constitution has said have earned it and reverse the grand American tradition of welcoming newcomers to our nation, the Supreme Court confirmed today that those born in America are American.”
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said the ruling was an important victory but not the end of the fight.
“Today’s Supreme Court ruling is not only a monumental victory for immigrant families and communities, but is an affirmation of the very constitutional principle that upholds our country,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “Let us be clear: the fight does not end here.”
She warned of future challenges to constitutional protections.
“This will not be the last attempt to strip Americans of their constitutional protections,” she said. “The attacks against Americans and immigrants alike know no bounds. We must remain vigilant and be prepared to fight this administration’s incessant attacks head-on.”
Rep. Dan Goldman said the ruling protected a right clearly established in the Constitution.
“I’m relieved that a majority of the Supreme Court has the sense to uphold birthright citizenship, which is plainly enshrined in no uncertain terms in the Constitution,” Goldman said. “Generations of citizens by birthright have built, protected and defended this great country, and no rogue, xenophobic president has the authority to strip it away through a flimsy executive order.”
Rep. Jerrold Nadler said Trump’s effort was rooted in xenophobia and posed a broader threat to democracy.
“Donald Trump’s failed attempt to end birthright citizenship was nothing more than a xenophobic, hate-fueled act of desperation to undermine the Constitution and further his tyrannical agenda,” Nadler said. “While far-right attacks against our democracy and civil liberties will not cease with this ruling, today’s Supreme Court decision affirms a fundamental constitutional principle that has defined our nation for generations: every child born in the United States is a citizen of the United States.”
Rep. Grace Meng said the ruling ended what she called an unconstitutional crusade.
“Since our nation’s founding, the law of the land has been clear: if you are born in America, you are an American,” Meng said. “Our Founders believed that, and today the U.S. Supreme Court reaffirmed that principle, bringing an end to the President’s outrageous and unconstitutional crusade to end birthright citizenship.”
She said the issue is personal as well as political.
“I come from a family of immigrants, and I am proud to be a birthright citizen,” Meng said. “My story is just as American as anyone else’s.”
Rep. Yvette Clarke said the ruling marked a strong affirmation of the country’s identity, though she warned that retaliation from Trump and his allies could follow.
“As it has been since 1868, and as it will remain in permanent glory, birthright citizenship is the law of our land,” Clarke said. “Today, the Supreme Court affirmed an obvious truth in this nation: that a child of any refugee is as equally American as any descendant of the Revolution, with the same rights, opportunities, and possibilities afforded to them.”
She said Trump’s effort reflected a distorted view of the country.
“Donald Trump’s bigotry may have overtaken his heart and consumed his political movement, but it will never overtake America,” Clarke said. “Birthright citizenship is not going anywhere, and neither are we.”
Assemblymember Catalina Cruz said the case was about the basic rights of children who have no say in how they enter the world.
“Today, the Supreme Court ruled on something that should have never been in question, rightly upholding the 14th Amendment and confirming that birthright citizenship is, and remains, the law of this land,” Cruz said. “For over 150 years, this country has recognized a simple truth: if you are born in America, you are an American citizen.”
She said the ruling protects hundreds of thousands of children born in the United States each year.
“This was never just a constitutional argument, it was a battle for the basic human rights and decency for those who have no say in how they come into this world,” Cruz said. “We celebrate this victory, but we know the fight to protect immigrant families is far from over.”
City Councilmember Harvey Epstein said the ruling sent a message that laws cannot be rewritten to target immigrant communities.
“From day one, this federal administration has sought to undermine fundamental rights, including its attempt to end Birthright Citizenship,” Epstein said. “For months, immigrant families across the country have lived with uncertainty and fear. Today’s ruling is an important victory and a welcome relief.”
He said the decision should be understood as a broader rebuke of efforts to erase constitutional protections.
“Birthright Citizenship is a cornerstone of our democracy, enshrined in the Constitution for more than 150 years,” Epstein said. “This decision reaffirms those constitutional protections and sends a message that our laws cannot be rewritten to exclude or target entire communities.”
The organizations behind the event said the ruling was a milestone, but only one part of a longer struggle over immigrant rights and constitutional protections.
Kishor Panthi
View More PostsKishor Panthi is the founder and editor-in-chief of Khasokhas and NepYork. He is the author of three books, “Kampan,” "UNTRANSLATABLE" and “Zero Mile.” He writes about social issues, immigration, and politics.
