Asian Americans Advancing Justice Affiliation Welcomes Supreme Court Ruling Upholding Birthright Citizenship
Atlanta, GA. —Asian Americans Advancing Justice, the nation’s largest affiliation of independent Asian American civil rights organizations, issues the following statement in response to today’s Supreme Court ruling in Trump v. Barbara.
Asian Americans Advancing Justice is relieved at today’s U.S. Supreme Court decision in Trump v. Barbara preserving the pre-existing common law right of citizenship enshrined by the Fourteenth Amendment. By Executive Order, the Trump administration sought to draw a false distinction between the freed black Americans who the Framers first considered and American-born children today. In rejecting the Government’s argument, Justice Jackson highlighted that it “pitches Black Americans against immigrants when the advocates who promoted the Fourteenth Amendment did no such thing.”
For more than 150 years, our Constitution has established a clear and enduring principle: if you are born in the United States, you are a citizen of this country. Chief Justice Roberts made clear that today’s decision “keep[s]” that promise” and reaffirms what the Court recognized in United States v. Wong Kim Ark (1898), a landmark case rooted in Asian American history that has protected generations of families.
Birthright citizenship is foundational to our democracy, and Asian Americans have played an integral role in establishing its long history, tradition, and legal precedent. Today, Asian Americans make up 7% of the U.S. population. About 10.6 million Asian Americans are U.S. born citizens, and nearly 60% of foreign-born Asian Americans are naturalized citizens. Today’s decision not only preserves the rights of these communities; it upholds the principle that a fair judiciary should operate free from political pressure.
This ruling protects families across the country from chaos and uncertainty. It ensures that birth certificates remain a reliable and accessible proof of citizenship, preserves stability for parents and newborns, and prevents the creation of a permanent underclass of stateless individuals.
In Georgia, this ruling carries profound weight given the rising immigrant community members. Birthright citizenship was first established in the Constitution during Reconstruction to affirm the principle of equal citizenship for African Americans. It is on this basis that Asian Americans challenged racist laws and policies that barred them from access to citizenship. Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) in Georgia know that our rights are inextricably linked to the struggles of Black Americans. As we continue to fight against injustices as a multiracial coalition in Georgia, we stand united against any Supreme Court decision or political attempts that work to dictate who belongs and who can call this state, and this country, home.
“Today's ruling affirms a fundamental right, but our fight doesn't end in the courtroom. Dismantling birthright citizenship was never about the Constitution, it was a deliberate attempt to disenfranchise immigrant families and communities of color reshaping Georgia and the United States," said Murtaza Khwaja, Executive Director of Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Atlanta. "Whether it's rewriting who counts as a citizen or pushing to redraw maps to dilute our civic voice, the goal is the same: stripping power from communities. We will keep standing with multiracial coalitions to fight for everyone who calls this state home."
We remain committed to defending this constitutional guarantee and ensuring that every child born in this country can thrive as a full citizen of our community.
